


Just Dumb Luck

by lailannajacobs



Series: Dumb Luck [1]
Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 07:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19352464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lailannajacobs/pseuds/lailannajacobs
Summary: All you wanted was to win the breakup and prove to your ex, Brian, that you had moved on. The only problem, was that you didn't have a date to help you do that. Stuck, you decided that any random stranger off the street would do. Yet when the handsome stranger, Loki, agreed, you had no idea how far your fake dating would actually go.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first ever fanfic I've written, I tried to make it as gender neutral as I could (hope I succeeded)!

You can't believe you forgot. You know you can always come up with some excuse, like the flu, so that you won't have to show up to your double date with your ex, Brian, but you know he'd see through it. Even if he didn't, it would still feel like you lost the breakup. And you never lose. It wasn't like you had actually thought he was serious when he had said he still wanted to be friends after breaking up eight months ago. You guys hadn't even kept in touch until about a couple days ago when you had bumped into him on your way to work. Seeing him standing there with his pretty blond girlfriend had almost made you throw your coffee on them. Almost. Instead, you had just lied about being in a relationship too, without thinking that he would invite you and your new partner to dinner with them. You had agreed like an idiot, thinking one of your coworkers would play the part for the night, but those asshats were all busy.

You were ten minutes away from the stupid date, on the subway texting every one of your contacts in desperation. You would settle for any of your friends, even some of the ones that he had met. People fell in love with their friends all the time, it was a credible lie. Right? But it didn't matter. No one was free when you needed them to be. 

You mount the steps and out into the cool evening air, almost sending Brian a text saying there was trouble with the subway and you were going to be late, so that you could give yourself more time to find your date. But that's when you see him, leaning against a street lamp, staring at his phone in confusion. You don't know what it is that makes you zero in on this guy. Maybe it's because the dark suit, dark hair and angular facial features are the opposite of Brian's golden retriever vibe. Or maybe it's because you have about three minutes left until you're due at the restaurant. Either way, you walk up to the stranger and blurt out your piece.

"Hi. I know I don't know you and you don't know me but hear me out. This might seem like a weird proposition but how would you like to be my date for the night?"

When he lifts his eyes from the phone you falter a bit, caught up in the piercing green of them. He puts his phone into his pocket, his hands remaining there. There's a ghost of a smirk on his lips, almost as if he's trying to hide his amusement. You do your best to ignore the need to keep staring at him and continue on before he can answer, "the only catch is that you'd have to pretend to be my boyfriend. Oh and to convince our double date, my ex, of that tiny little fact."

"What's in it for me?" He drawls tilting his head.

"A free meal and the company of a stunning date." You sass, looking around for Brian and his girlfriend to hide the fact that you find his gaze so intense.

If this guy doesn't say yes, you don't know what you're going to do. You turn your attention back to him and look him up and down. You can't help but think that if this guy says yes, he would be the perfect date. He is definitely handsome even though a guy with shoulder length ink hair isn't normally the type of guy you'd go for.

"I'll do it."

You bring your attention back to those incredible green eyes, surprised. Although you thought you'd be relieved, you're just skeptical. What kind of creep says yes to a random stranger without asking more than one question?

You look up at him with a scrutinizing stare. "Really? Why?"

His lips spread into a dangerous smirk. His gaze rakes up and down your body and you feel your chest tighten but you ignore it. "Let's just say that I have an inclination towards mischief and this seems like fun."

You have the impression that he wanted to say 'you' instead of 'this' but before you can really process his answer Brian's voice cuts through the crowd.

"(Y/N), I'm glad you could make it!"

The stranger looks down at you with an arched brow, silently asking if you'd made up your mind even if you're the one who went to him with a question. You're a little infuriated that this stranger seems to have taken charge of the most random situation so easily but you're out of options. You mouth 'fine', hoping you didn't just bring a crazy person or a murder on your double date, and whirl around to face your ex. As soon as you face Brian and his perfect little girlfriend, you feel a large hand on your waist tugging you towards him. It's a possessive gesture that, although you know nothing about this man and you know that it's all fake, it sends a thrill through you anyways.

"Brian. Hi! Emily, how are you?" You try and greet them as cheerfully as possible.

"It's Amelie."

"Oh gosh I'm so sorry." You lie.

You hear the stranger let out a little breath that might have been a laugh and you feel pleased with yourself. You tell yourself that it's just because you're glad that this stranger doesn't seem like a complete snob, which means you've made a good decision, but really it's because you're glad that, in some way, you click with him. After all, who doesn't like to know they've got something in common with a good looking person? You've almost convinced yourself that you're not actually kind of attracted to the stranger when Brian interrupts your thoughts.

"I don't think I got your boyfriend's name last time we saw each other."

Neither did you.

You're about to rebaptize your date for the night when he pulls his right hand out from his pocket, "Loki. Nice to meet you both."

Brian looks just as confused as you feel. You tilt your head up to get a better look at the stranger but when you see the fake smile on his face - nothing like the one he gave you earlier - you remember that this shouldn't surprise you. You should have learned his name months ago.

Quickly recovering, you snuggle in closer and shoot Brian your best Everything's Good Here smile, "It's short for Lokene. His mother is Hawaiian."

"Why go by Loki then, Lokene?" Brian practically sneers the name.

You can't believe that the stranger's - Loki's - presence is already getting Brian to act like an ass, but you were glad it does. The stranger looks down at you, ignoring Brian's question for a moment, his eyes locking onto yours. His lips are curled into the roguish smile he had shot you earlier as if the two of you were sharing an inside joke. I guess you kind of were. "I was always playing tricks as a child, I guess my mother found it was an appropriate pet name. It just stuck."

"I like it." You whisper, forgetting for a moment that Brian and his girlfriend are standing right in front of you.

His smile drops, as if he's surprised by your words but he doesn't look away. You don't want him to either. You can tell he's observing you, almost as if he hadn't quite seen you until now. Just by the look in his eye you can tell that he's extremely intelligent. He sees more than his arrogance lets on and, although you're assuming, he must like it that way.

"Aww you guys are so cute!" Amelie gushes.

Loki peels his attention away from you and motions towards the restaurant, "shall we?"

You follow the couple into the restaurant, very aware of his hand now on the small of your back. The hostess leads you to a table towards the back of the terrace, in a slightly secluded area.

Loki offers to take off your jacket like a gentleman from the 40s but while he's doing so, he dips his head so that you can feel his breath tickling your ear.

"I promise you that this jacket isn't the only thing I'm going to take off you when we get home and walk through the door. I don't care if we don't make it to the bedroom." His raspy promise isn't very loud, but just loud enough that you see Amelie blush.

You can't blame her. His words send shivers down your spine too. He's playing his part too well. It's not like you're worried about Brian and Amelie not believing your scheme, rather you're wondering if you might get carried away in it too. You tell yourself that it's a ridiculous thought because you've just met him. Nobody is that good of a liar. You worry for a second that you may have brought a conman to the table but the worry goes away when you remember that you have to keep up the charade for an hour. You'll take anyone who can get you through it without a hitch, especially someone who exudes the kind of confidence he does. Whatever he is, you'll take it if it can get you through the night.

His eyes are still focused on you, calculating your response. You know he said that to get a reaction out of Amelie but you wonder if he did that to play games with you as well. If it's both, you know you're not one to lose.

"And this is why I keep saying I can't take you out." You pretend to scold before taking your seat.

You look over at Amelie and roll your eyes as if to say 'men'. She returns the look with a sheepish smile, reassuring you that although Brian may have just suggested the date to rub winning the breakup in your face, his girlfriend doesn't seem aware of that fact.

"So, Loki, (Y/N) said you were some kind of business man?" Brian asks once the waitress has brought all of your drinks and taken your orders.

Loki ignores the condescending tone and answers with a false smile, "I'm in the art business."

"Ooh! What does that entail?" Amelie leans forward with interest.

Your date slides his hand over to cover yours before answering, "I procure beautiful pieces and show them at galleries. Occasionally I'll sell a few. Although," he pauses just long enough to slide a look in Brian's direction, "I'm good enough at my job to know which ones are worth keeping."

You notice Brian's eyes narrow slightly and you twist your hand to interlace your fingers with Loki's. You had been sweating this date when you were on the train here, but you feel an arrogant smile spread across your lips. Your relationship might not be real but that doesn't mean you can't win the break up anyways. As if sensing the shift in your mood, Loki takes that moment to lift your hand and kiss it. If he realizes that Amelie is smitten by you, he doesn't show it and continues the conversation as if these little gestures are every day occurrences for him. "(y/n) hasn't told me anything about you, tell me about yourself Brian."

Brian goes on to tell them about his job as a small business owner and how, because of that he met Amelie, but you can't really focus on his story because Loki is drawing lazy circles on your thigh with his long finger. You've never had this much physical contact with a complete stranger without having any alcohol in your system but you tell yourself that you're okay with it. The act wouldn't be convincing otherwise. But you know you're lying to yourself because it would be crazy to feel so attracted to someone you know so little about. You're so caught up in thinking about this whole crazy situation that you don't realize that Amelie asked you a question until Loki speaks up, "love, Amelie asked you a question."

"Sorry, I got a little distracted."

"It happens all the time when they gets hungry, it has nothing to do with you Amelie." Loki smirks, as if he knows exactly what - or who - has you so distracted.

"Oh that's fine," Amelie waves her hand in dismissal, "I'm absolutely starved too! I can't believe the service is taking this long! I was just asking you how long you've lived in the city for?"

The food comes before you have the chance to answer.

"If you keep getting distracted like that, no one is going to believe us." He taunts in a low whisper. His hand leaves your thigh to place a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

You roll your eyes. "I think you've been more than touchy feely enough that I don't have to worry about it."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure you wanted to grab my hand when I took it off your thigh."

Amelie asks you another question before you can deny his claim, which is probably a good thing. Having your double date whisper to each other all evening probably isn't the best idea.

The rest of the evening goes by pretty quickly. Loki does an excellent job at selling your happiness together, so much so that you think Amelie has kind of fallen in love with him a little. Brian stopped talking about halfway through dinner and despite the fact that you learned nothing about the man sitting beside you, you grow accustomed to the little touches of affection he shows throughout the night. Loki picks up everyone's bills, infuriating Brian even further, and keeps his hand on your back the entire time you make your way out of the restaurant and onto the street. Saying goodbye to the couple doesn't take long and you're standing alone with Loki in the exact same place you met him.

You face him. You're standing so close to each other that you have to crane your neck to get a better look at him. Neither of you are saying anything but you can tell he's not going to by the slight crook of his lips. He's waiting on you.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

His eyes are alight. He's looking at you like he did when you first approached him, which is distinctly different from the way he did all night in the restaurant. This doesn't feel like an act.

"Is Loki even your real name?"

"Yes."

You search his eyes for a lie but you don't see one.

"Like the Norse God of Mischief?"

"Exactly."

"Where are you from?"

"Around."

"The U.S?"

"Yes."

You think you see something flash through his eyes. You don't know why but you get the feeling he's not telling the truth, and as much as you want to let it drop because he helped you out tonight, you can't. It's not in your nature to let it slide.

"The way you manipulated Brian and his girlfriend was pretty exceptional Loki but that's not going to work with me. I know a lie when I see one. Also, the accent kind of gives it away that you're not from here."

His lips curl into a full on smirk, "Impressive. But I don't think you would believe me even if told you where I'm from."

"Is that so?"

He only nods.

"Try me."

"What do you say we go to your place and I tell you there?"

The proposition is so direct it surprises you. Your first reaction is to say no but you can't get yourself to say it. You didn't want to thank him and walk away earlier and if you're being honest with yourself, you don't want to now either. Like it or not, you want to know more about the mysterious stranger. You know it'll be interesting and, you don't do boring.

"Fine."

"Fine."

You lift your chin defiantly and order, as if it was your idea in the first place, "Follow me."


	2. Chapter Two

You had decided to walk to your place even though it would have been faster to take the subway. You had always thought there was something more personal about walking with someone, even if there were tons of other people around. Plus, you had eaten so much at the restaurant, all you wanted to do was walk around a little.

The streets aren't too crowded and you know the closer you get to your apartment, the less people there will be. It's one of the warmer fall nights this week, making for a pleasant walk back and your thankful you decided to wear flats instead of heels. You wriggle your toes comfortably in your shoes just because you can.

You haven't said a word to Loki since you had told him to follow you and he had just followed in silence, his hands in his pockets, trailing beside. You have to stop yourself from constantly looking at him so that you don't seem creepy. His strides are long but slow so that he doesn't outpace you and he walks with an air of confidence that you can't help but be attracted to. There's something about him that you can't quite pinpoint but it just makes you all that much more intrigued.

You're so caught up in thoughts about this stranger that you don't hear him the first time he speaks up and he has to repeat himself.

"What's the story between you and that Brian guy?" You can tell by his tone that he didn't ask to fill the silence but rather out of genuine curiosity.

The question doesn't surprise you. What does is that it took that long for him to ask. Most people would have had a million questions as soon as you had proposed the date. Most people wouldn't have agreed so quickly. He's not most people though. You're sure about that.

"I thought you were going to tell me about you, not the other way around." You mention.

He smirks, "Not yet."

"Of course not. That would just ruin the mystery." You retort though you're fighting off a smile.

"We can't have that." He says with a small shake of his head.

You're interested now. "And why not?"

"Then you would leave before we get to the good part." You want to stop him there and asks him what exactly he means but he changes the subject quickly. "Tell me (y/n), what makes someone like you agree to go on a double date with a guy like him?"

"Someone like me?" You challenge.

He lets out something like an amused chuckle. Apart from the fake laughter at dinner, this has been the closest you've gotten to a real laugh. You can't help but wonder what it must sound like.

"Someone that so clearly belongs with someone much smarter. And less blond." He mentions almost as a sassy afterthought.

"Someone like you?"

He just shrugs, the corner of his lips turning up slightly.

You finally answer his earlier question when you stop at an intersection, "Pride and competitiveness. That's why I agreed."

The too long beat of silence makes you look up at him. The way he's looking at you now sends shivers down your spine. His eyes roam over your body as if they're trying to figure out the best way to take you all in. You can't help but think that if he had looked at you like that at the restaurant, Amelie might have died.

"I've been told those are the kinds of things that get you into trouble." His voice is barely audible over the sound of traffic passing by.

You flash him a flirty smile. "If this date was trouble then I don't think it's a bad thing."

"I never said it was a bad thing." His lips spread slowly into a wolfish grin.

You're so captivated by the dangerous allure of him that it takes everything you have to peel your eyes away from his green ones and to walk across the street with the small hoard of people that gathered at the light. You hadn't even noticed the other people accumulate around you.

You bring the conversation back to safe and neutral ground because you're not sure you trust yourself to keep it going in that direction. At this point, you're starting to wonder if it's even a good idea to take him home with you.

"Brian and I dated for a while but he broke it off saying that I wasn't the kind of girl you bring home to your mother." You shrug it off as if his words hadn't bothered you when he had first said them.

"Had I known that little fact earlier we could have had a lot more fun back there." He raises his brows at you, his eyes alight with mischief.

You don't doubt that. Watching the way he played Brian with the little information he had, you can only imagine what he could do if you hadn't plucked him off the street two seconds before the date.

You're about to ask him what other kinds of fun you two could have together but you don't. If you do, you know your self control will go right out the window.

You're not sure why you're so adamant about things not getting any further tonight but you think it has something to do with the fact that you're so insanely attracted to this guy. You hate not having control of a situation.

You shove the thought away and continue on with your story. "Anyways, not long after he started dating Amelie we bumped into each other and as he stood there boasting about his new girlfriend - the kind that he could bring home to his mother as you could see - so I had to bring up my perfect boyfriend."

He spins on his foot to walk backwards so that he can look at you face on. His hands are still in his pocket, and he seems more at ease than someone who could bump into anyone at any given moment should. With a grin he says, "and that's when you came up to me."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." You retort with a tilt of your head, unwilling to give him the satisfaction. "You were a last resort. And anyways, I only said that to Bryan last week so it wouldn't look like I lost the breakup."

He cocks his head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

You're surprised by his reaction. Either he had never been in a relationship long enough to warrant the competitiveness of a breakup or he had never cared enough to think of it as winning.

You're not sure which it is but he's looking at you with such genuine interest that you answer his question seriously. "You win a breakup by showing the other person that the breakup hasn't affected you and that you've moved on. If you're distraught and alone then you lose."

"And you don't lose." He fills in the words you were thinking.

He's read you so well you're almost speechless but the taunting smirk on his face pushes you to answer. "Never."

"Neither do I."

The way he says those three words sounds like a promise. A promise that makes you very, very interested.

By now you've made it to your apartment building, the street silent and dark, save for the few street lamps shining through the trees. In his black suit, he blends into the darkness but you're standing close enough that you can see the amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Do you think you'll ever see Brian again?" He asks.

You shrug, "Maybe. Amelie did seem fond of you. I'm sure she'll want to see you again."

"Fond of us." He corrects.

You shiver at the sound of his words.

He notices and motions to your building, "Maybe we should go inside?"

"Maybe." You answer vaguely with a flirty smile, unable to say no right away.

He purses his lips in thought, studying your answer. "What happens if you do see him again."

"I guess I'll need another date. I can't lose after having come so far."

"Then that would mean you need me to win." He drawls.

You nod.

His face breaks out into a devilish grin. "When do we start?"


	3. Chapter 3

When you told Loki you would let him know when or if you needed his help and didn't invite him in, he didn't look disappointed. Rather he looked at you with that sly look and held out his hand. Of course like a doofus, you had assumed he wanted to shake it.

He clasped your hand, his long fingers wrapped firmly around yours. He wasn't unable to suppress a smirk. "I had been hoping you would give me your phone so I could put my number in it but I'll settle for a handshake."

You felt your cheeks heat but you held on.

You tried to recover. "I wanted to make sure we officially met. We never officially did."

He considered your excuse. "Very true. Pleased to meet you (y/n)."

You only smiled, loving the way he said your name. You held his gaze for a beat longer before you let go and handed him your phone.

He put it in and your phone was back in your hand as if it had never left.

Bidding you goodnight he walked away without another word. You watched his tall figure fade into the darkness and went inside.

It's been two weeks since you met Loki. You're at your cubical putting your things away before your nine thirty meeting and you only have a few minutes before you have to get to the conference room. You know he's crossed your mind more times than you can count but you haven't contemplated texting him. You got what you wanted. You won. You texted Brian after Loki left saying it had been nice to see him and you should do it again soon. You still haven't gotten a reply. The thought puts a grin on your face. His silence means you and Loki did a thorough job at pissing him him off, and although it makes you happy, you admit it also makes you kind of petty. You don't care. You won.

You're disappointed you're not going to see Loki again but you tell yourself he was probably only being nice when he said he was willing to help. Your coworker Janeane told you it looked a little pathetic going on a date with a stranger. She was probably right. That was probably the only reason he had agreed to help.

You know you should get up and go to your meeting so you grab the files you were given last week. You were so busy with a huge client's job, you hadn't had the time to look it over yet. You should have woken up a little earlier this morning to read it but your calendar had the fancy little exclamation marks you drew when you're happy about a client. You decide it must mean you know the client well.

You sit at your usual spot and wait for the others to arrive. You're about to open the files when your boss walks in.

"Morning (y/n). Ready? I know today's going to be a lot of brainstorming but you begged me to get you onto this one so I'm expecting big things from you." The warning in her voice is clear.

"Of course." you answer, "I won't let you down."

She did you a favour by letting you onto another project when you already had a full plate. It'll be the last time it happens if you screw up. For the life of you, you can't remember who the client is and you're itching to open the file but you can't. Other people are filing into the room and your boss has a policy about not looking through files at the last minute. Something about presenting an organized and prepared front.

Most of the seats are taken but the one at the head is still empty. You shoot your boss a look but she only returns it with a slight shrug.

You look at the rest of the guests in the hopes to get a sense of who this client is but you don't get much from the three middle aged business men. Your best bet is that it's some sort of sports company and you get excited. Your immediate thought is that the Yankees ditched their old marketing firm and have come to yours but you brush it away immediately. You would have remembered something that big.

"Sorry I'm late everyone. Traffic was terrible."

The sound of his voice makes you want to smack your forehead. You can't believe you forgot something that big. You must have let out some sort of surprised sound because your boss is looking at you with an irritated look. Your lips spread into a smile that doesn't reach your eyes and you turn your attention to the man at the front of the room.

Brian takes off his jacket and places it on the hanger behind him. You can't look at him You opt for his associate on the right instead. You feel that he's trying to get your attention. You ignore him. He's probably wondering why you didn't back out of the job once you broke up and though he had asked you to, you weren't going to jeopardize your career. Not for him. Not for anyone.

You sit through the beginning of the meeting and think about Brian's company. He started it up years before you started dating. You were going to have to market his latest kitchen gadget to unsuspecting amateur cooks who never realized their lives could be simpler. When he had a falling out with his last marketing company, you never should have suggested yours. You still can't believe you forgot.

You don't know how much longer you have to think of at least one idea and too soon your boss gives your the platform. You spurt out some unoriginal, overused idea that seems to go over pretty well with Brian's two associates. You don't know about Brian, you still won't look at him. It is only a preliminary meeting and the main goal is to get a feel of what the client wants. The bar isn't set high. Next time you know it will be.

Your boss wraps up the meeting after a few more words but you don't let out a sigh of relief yet. Brian leaves the room before you do but you can tell through the glass of the conference room that he's waiting at your cubicle. You groan. You're not ready for this. You wish he would just leave without saying anything to you but you know he won't, so you march over to your cubicle and force your lips into another fake smile.

"Hi Brian. How are you?"

He crosses his arms, "I thought you were going to drop the job."

"And I thought I was the kind of girl you introduce to your mother but clearly we were both wrong." You're already annoyed. "In both cases though, it worked out for the best. So before you say anything, I'm not going to drop it because I might have a promotion attached to your job. You're going to have to deal with it."

"And what does your new boyfriend think about you working for your ex?" He sneers.

You purse your lips to hide your smile. You can't believe how worked up he's gotten. "He's fine with it. I'm sure Amelie is too. She is the sweetest by the way, you should give me her number so we can share recipes and stuff."

He grinds his teeth. "You don't cook."

"Loki has gotten me into it, he's really great at it." You try your best at a dreamy smile.

"That's a first. You never bothered when we were together."

You don't bother answering. This day has already been too long and it's only ten thirty. "Why are you still here Brian? We'll get in touch with you if there's anything you need to know before our next meeting and you can always talk to our secretary if there's anything in the mean time."

He looks like he's trying not to let his next words kill him on the way out. "Amelie was hoping we could do another date night sometime next week. She asked me to ask you when I saw you today."

This time you can't hide your smile. Sweet, oblivious Amelie. It's almost like she's in on it with you and Loki.

"I'm so glad she did," you gush. You don't care if Brian can tell you're faking the enthusiasm. You've got a point to make. "You should give me her number. I can't seem to reach yours."

He scribbles it onto a loose post it note and shoves it at you.

"Thanks. Listen Brian I've got another meeting in five but we'll get back to you soon about that date." You're surprised by how easily you slip back into the 'we'.

You shoo him away as professionally as you can and only when the elevator doors shut behind him do you let out a sigh and collapse into your chair. The relief dies when you realize what this means. You're going to have to ask Loki if he's up for another date. Your insides tighten with nervous energy. Will he respond? Will his answer be yes if he does? Should you call him instead? Will he even remember who you are? Probably. You can't imagine he goes on dates pretending to be someone's boyfriend every day. You decide you should give him a call, which means you'll have to wait until you're done work. If you're being honest, you only decide to wait because you're too chicken to do it now.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur of products, slogans, finessing previous jobs and getting started on Brian's product. Despite working for an ex you still want to do your best. You're a professional after all...unlike some people who just assume you'd ditch a good career move out of spite. You had to shove the bitter thought out of your head more than once.

You're standing outside your office building, taking in the fresh air for the first time since you walked in that morning. Maybe you should've taken a little breather at one point but you didn't think about how relaxing it would feel until now. You're nervous about making the call and all you can do is stare at his contact info on your phone. It's not much info. There's not even a last name you realize.

You're tempted to call him when you get home but know if you do, you're only going to keep stalling until you're stuck the day of the date trying to find a different stranger to pretend to be Loki. You're well aware that it's not an option. No-one is stupid enough to believe that. Taking in a deep breath, you press the call button and bring the phone up to your ear. You bring up the volume because the only thing you can hear is your heart pounding in your ears.

After a few rings you think it's going to go to voice mail and you feel relieved. You're not going to leave a message. That would be mortifying. You might text him later but -

"Hello?"

You suck in a breath. You want to say something. You should say something but you're panicking.

"Hello..." he draws out the word in a way that no longer sounds like a question.

"Hi...um...Loki?"

"(y/n)."

"Yeah its...wait. How did you know it's me?" You ask knowing you hadn't given him your number.

"There aren't too many people whose number I don't have in my phone. And I had a feeling you'd be calling me soon enough." His voice, though distorted through the phone, makes him sound like he's smiling on the other end.

You're still a little nervous about asking him so you don't do it directly. "So I'm guessing you have a pretty good idea why I'm calling then?"

"I do."

You sigh, "were you being serious when you said you were willing to help?"

"I was."

"Do you usually only answer with two words?" You flirt, hoping you can get your heart rate to slow a little.

He chuckles, "I'm not overly fond of speaking on the phone."

"Would you've preferred I text you instead?" You can't help but think most people prefer by text. You should've known.

"No. I prefer to hear your voice," Your heart does a weird little flip thing, "I get a much better read on you this way." Your heart doesn't stick the land.

You ignore the disappointment. He's doing you a favour, not actually taking you out on a date.

"So if you don't like to text and you don't like to talk on the phone, how are people supposed to reach you?"

"Usually, in person is best."

"Well that's not practical." You blurt.

"I think today you'll find it is."

He barely has time to finish his sentence when you look over to your right and see him clad in his dark suit, staring at you with a smirk on his face.

"Are you following me?" You ask without real suspicion.

"Not at all."

You walk towards him, your phone still held up to your ear. "Then what's your excuse for being here?"

He lifts the coffee you hadn't noticed before, his eyebrows raised triumphantly.

"Convenient excuse." You tease.

You're so close now that you didn't need to speak into the phone.

He puts his phone away. "So you need my help again."

You nod.

You find that the nervous energy you felt earlier has disappeared at the sight of him. You're not worried he only agreed out of pity. The amusement in his eyes is all the proof you need.

"I must admit that I'm surprised it's taken this long to hear for you," he continues, "We did such a good job last time I thought you'd be calling me to tell me that he'd surrendered."

You laugh, "we did too good. Amelie wants to go out next week. She loves us you know."

"Remind me which one of the two that is again?" His face is serious.

You roll your eyes at him, "She clearly has a girl's name, don't try to be clever."

"Oh but I am."

You can't look away from his green eyes knowing there's more behind those words but you don't know what. You assume he's referencing the way he blended into his role as your date so seamlessly but a part of you isn't sure.

"Well then, are you only free to be clever for me certain nights of next week or do I tell her anytime is fine with us."

"Anytime except Tuesday."

"What's Tuesday?"

You think maybe it's none of your business but he answers without missing a beat.

"A business meeting. I have to share my cleverness with others unfortunately."

"Okay, I'll give Amelie a call and I'll text you when I know when and where this date is going to be."

He puts out his hand.

You raise a brow, "are you asking for my phone again or are you making handshakes a thing? I hate to break it to you but it's not really a couples thing to do, you know."

He tilts his head with a little smirk. "I'll keep that in mind. I was asking for you phone though."

"Why?"

"I figured I would call Amelie myself. It is a couples thing to do...or so I've heard."

You hand him your phone, but hold onto it until he hears what you have to say, "You know we're going to have to figure this couple thing out before the date. I don't know if we're lucky enough to wing it."

"I think we'll be able to find a time to strategize." He promises. "I'm not worried."

He takes the phone and dials the number.

"Hello Amelie? This is Loki, I hope I'm not disturbing you...I'm actually calling from (y/n)'s phone, she said Brian gave her your number...no she's standing right in front of me but she's prepping dinner so her hands are tied. She wanted to call you now in case she forgot...yes... yes...Let us know when and where, we're available anytime next week except for Tuesday...yes...bye."

"You know I don't cook." You say when he hands you back the phone.

"I did not."

"However, I did tell Brian earlier that I do now because of you so I think you may have managed to say exactly the right thing."

He grins, "I supposed you and I might just be lucky after all."


	4. Chapter 4

"I think we should go on a date." You blurt out.

You don't know where it came from but the words were out of your mouth before you could stop them. You know he's right that you've been lucky so far but you don't like to rely on luck. It always runs out. The other shoe always drops.

He smirks, "a real date?"

"No, no." You put your hand out to stop that train of thought. You don't need him to think you're hitting on him. "A re-con date. You know, to figure out how we're going to do this convincingly."

"You don't think we can be convincing without practice? Or is it you want an excuse to spend more time with me?" He asks.

You laugh, "I had been going with practice but I'm starting to think your overconfidence is enough to get us through our next date."

"I'm well aware that you're too competitive to leave it up to chance and me."

"Is it that obvious?" You ask stepping out of the way of a grumpy looking business man.

"You did ask a complete stranger to go on a date with you to win a breakup." He sidesteps with you. "Despite the fact that you no longer being with him seems like a win to me."

You shake your head but it doesn't hide your smile. "If you keep saying things like that you're going to convince me we don't actually need that re-con date."

He grins, extending his hand out, palm facing up. "(y/n) will you have dinner with me tonight so that we can fool your ex boyfriend and his strangely sweet new girlfriend into believing that we're meant to be?"

"When did you decide that we were meant to be?" Your hand stays firmly at your side. You know he's just piling onto the lie and that it'll enrage Brian even more but you can't help but think he's too good at this. Something, you don't know what yet, feels a little off. How is anyone this okay with going along with a stranger's idiotic plans?

"I decided the moment you shook my hand and introduced yourself." He leaves his hand there and his green eyes locked on yours. "You wanted help winning and I do have a tendency for the dramatic flare. In the art business, I mean."

The mention of his job eases your worry and, although you're about to give him your hand, he continues.

"It's what I do best. I believe the expression is 'go big or go home'?"

"I believe it is." You put your hand in his. "I will go to dinner with you and learn how to be the person of your dreams."

"I don't think that's possible"

"And why's that? Not that I want to be." You exclaim so he doesn't know that you're pride is a little wounded by the statement.

You know you're not everyone's type but a part of you would have liked to know you're his. Just a small part though.

"It's technically impossible. The person of my dreams isn't real."

You snatch your hand from his a smack him on the arm. "You think you're funny don't you."

"From time to time." He chuckles, motioning for you to follow him down the street, "I figure it's something you look for in a partner."

"Why do you figure that?" You ask.

"Dating Brian must have been a joke. I can't imagine any other reason you would date him."

You can't help the laugh the escapes your lips. "He's not here, you can save that for our date this week...You don't seem to like him very much. Not that I blame you. He didn't seem to like you either at dinner."

He looks thoughtful for a moment. "He reminds me of someone I know."

"And the person he reminds you of, you don't like him?" You guess, glancing up at him.

He sighs. "It's complicated."

"Care to elaborate?" You get along with Loki but you realize you don't know too much about him. You want to know more about him.

"I don't need to bore you with the details." He changes the subject, his lips forced into a smirk like the one you saw him give Brian. "So how do Loki and (y/n) walk down the street when they're together? Walking apart seems too distant, does it not?"

You don't press him on the matter. He's here to do you a favour not share his personal life. "It does. We aresupposed to be madly in love. I'd like to think we're still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship."

He looks down at you, brows furrowed.

"You know, that part of a relationship where everything is great and you haven't seen enough of who the person really is so you think they're perfect? It's usually kind of sickening to watch people in that phase really." You're surprised you have to explain it to him but then again you're starting to think he's not the kind of person to think too hard about relationships. You remind yourself he didn't know what winning a breakup meant either.

"Seems like that would only annoy Brian."

You nod and take his hand. He wraps it around yours and you walk like that until you reach the next light. Apart from feeling the warmth of his hand you don't feel anything else. You know you're not supposed to because you're not actually dating and if you did feel something, it would make things infinitely more complicated. But it still doesn't feel right.

You wonder if he feels the same. "And?"

He shakes his head. "I don't believe we're convincing anyone."

You agree and loop your arm through his. "How's this?"

He leads you to the next light, keeping you pressed tightly at his side. When you reach the light he looks down at you and shakes his head. "Better but not perfect."

"I don't think our next date is going to be lots of walking. We'll be fine even if we don't figure this out. Maybe we're over thinking this." You suggest.

He stops. "Over thinking walking?"

You slip your arm away from his and take a step back. He lets you observe him in silence, his hands stuffed into his pockets, green eyes bright in the evening light. You hope maybe you'll get the answer by looking at him. You don't know why walking with him feels off. Everything thing else about him seems to click into place so why won't this?

Everything else you were doing naturally.

You grab his arm as the thought hits you. "Wait here!"

He's about to protest but you point a finger at him, "Don't move. I have a plan. I'll be back in literally five seconds."

You take a few steps back so that you're facing his back and you close your eyes.

You imagine that you're actually Loki's partner and you had decided you would meet here after work. He doesn't see you coming because he's...looking at his phone.You haven't seen him all week so you're excited. You want to surprise him so you decide to run up behind him. You can't wait to see the look on his face.

You open your eyes and feel a smile on your face. You feel a little stupid doing this but you run up behind him anyways and grab his hand. Your momentum keeps you going a little further but instead of pulling him with you, he stands his ground, pulling you back towards him.

Your hands are intertwined but they're smushed between your chest and his. You're looking up, closer to him than you've ever been. His other hand is pressed against your back, steadying you. You can feel your heart beating widely even though you only ran a couple of steps. Maybe you're nervous about his reaction. Or maybe you got a little carried away with your hypothetical situation. Either way, you figure he must feel it beating too.

His wide eyes are searching yours for an answer. "What was that?"

"Honestly? I don't know." You shrug, trying to play it cool. "I just figured that if I pretended that I was excited to see you and I acted naturally then we'd figure this out."

He raises a brow, "That was acting naturally?"

"Yes. Unlike what we were trying to do before." You point out.

"True." The corner of his mouth lifts. "So should I be expecting you to come up behind me every time we meet somewhere?"

You shake you head. Backing out of his arms, you tug him with your intertwined hand down the street. "Not every time. Just occasionally, you know to keep you on your toes."

He looks down at you, his eyes alight. "Good to know."

"I have no idea where we're going right now by the way."

You look around. You know the area but not well enough to know the kind of restaurant or bar he could have chosen.

"That's fine. I do." He squeezes your hand. "We're almost there."

"Where is there?"

"You'll see. I figure you like surprises based on what happened back there."

You only smile.

You don't walk in silence for long before he speaks up again, "How did you know this would feel better?" He lifts up his hand intertwined with yours.

"I didn't. I asked myself what I would do if we were really in this situation and I guess instinctively I prefer intertwined hands. Either that or I like to be on your left than on your right."

"The side changes everything." He mocks.

"It does!"

He shakes his head but you can tell he's amused. "We're here."

You're standing in front of an Italian place, smaller than some of the two bedroom apartments in the city, but on a Friday night, it's packed full of people. "We're never going to be able to get a seat."

He tilts his head slightly and purses his lips. "You'd be surprised love."

You're skeptical but he opens the door and waits for you to go in first, a taunting grin on his lips. With a sigh, you walk through and go with him to the hostess.

"Do you have a reservation?" She asks.

"Yes. Six thirty. Laufeyson."

You take note of that little tidbit of information.

She scans the list and shakes her head. "I'm sorry sir, I don't see your name here and we're fully booked for the night."

"If you don't mind looking again." His hands are in his pockets and he's leaning back, nowhere near the list like you know you would have been.

Although he doesn't look it, you're a little worried he's not actually on the list. If he is, you can't help but wonder when he made the reservation or even how he knew to make it.

The hostess shoots him an irritated look that says her eyesight is perfect and that she really does not need to look again but she does anyways. You can't imagine how often that must happen to her on busy nights.

She blinks a few times then clicks her pen. "So sorry Mr. Laufeyson. I hadn't seen it there, I must have looked too quickly. "

"Not a problem. It's bound to happen at the end of a long week." He smiles. It's charming. Charming enough to make the hostess blush but you know it isn't real.

The one he shoots you when the hostess tell you to follow her is. You smile back on instinct but you want to smack yourself. You shouldn't be noticing things like his smile. What you're doing is a business transaction and no matter how good looking he is, that's all you want it to be. You have that promotion to focus on. And you're not actually interested you remind yourself.

When you sit down at the table across from him you have to ask. "How and when did you get us that reservation."

He takes a sip of his water, letting you wait a little longer. "I had the reservation for a buyer of mine. Right before you called, he informed me that something came up. I figured it would be a shame to let the reservation go to waste."

You nod slowly. "That worked out well. Do you often take your buyers here?"

"Only the ones I know I'm going to get a good sale from."

"And what do you get from bringing me here?" You ask, unable to help yourself from flirting a little.

He leans forward in his seat and you feel yourself do the same, waiting to hear his answer.

"The opportunity to create a little mischief."


	5. Chapter 5

"You must have been as pain in the ass as a kid." You mention.

His lips spread into a wide grin, his tongue pressed to the small gap between his teeth, "my brother definitely thought so."

You don't press him for more information. At least not in an obvious way. Oddly enough, you feel like you know what will push him the wrong way and what wont. Instead you go for a less obvious question.

"What's the worst thing you ever did to him?"

He chuckles at the memory. "Somehow I don't think I should tell you." You lean back and shrug. "It can't be worse than some of the things I've heard my friends say they've done to their siblings."

He takes a sip of his water, eyeing you, most likely deciding whether or not he should tell you. "How about this. If this re-con date goes well and we establish a credible relationship, I'll tell you."

"You're basically telling me that you're going to tell me by the end of this date."

"Basically." He repeats the word slowly, as if it isn't a word he used often.

"So Loki Laufeyson," he smirks at the use of his last name, "how did we meet?"

"You don't want to decide?"

You shake your head, smirking, and motion for him to go on. You want to see this mischief for yourself.

"All right, feel free to correct me if I get something wrong." The look on his face makes you think he doesn't believe that'll be happening very often. "Before I begin, do you have any preferences?"

"Yes just one."

"Which is?"

"We started dating three months ago. We could have met four months ago I don't care, but we didn't start dating until three months ago." You can tell he's confused. "If it's too soon after it doesn't feel like I was ever invested in my relationship with Brian and if it's too late it looks like I just picked you off the street."

He doesn't try to hide his amusement.

You shoot him a pointed look. "Brian doesn't need to know that that's what happened."

"We met on the subway." he begins, luring you in with his story telling, "It was after a long day of work and you had not managed to stand somewhere where you could hold on to something, let alone get a seat. When the train lurched forward you lost your balance and fell onto the stranger seated behind you."

"Let me guess, that stranger is you."

"It would be a rather disappointing story if it wasn't." He pauses as the waiter sets yours steaming plates on the table. "As soon as you laid eyes on the stranger you were instantly struck by his handsomeness."

You can't help but smile.

"And what did the stranger think of the lady that fell into his lap?" You stare into those piercing green eyes, his story reminding you that, although it isn't real, the fact that you find him handsome very much is.

"He could not believe his luck. He had never seen anyone so stunning in his life."

Your heart skips a beat but you ignore it. You said you wanted to see his mischief and you remind yourself that that's what this is. Just because you know that Brian never looked at you the way Loki is now doesn't mean anything. What it does mean is that Amelie is going to think you're the luckiest alive.

"You had quickly gotten up, refusing to look at me after that you were so embarrassed. It was only when you got off at the next station did I realize that you had dropped your phone. You were long gone by then but I tracked you down. It was luck that gave me another chance at finding you. When I finally found you, you asked if there was any way you could repay me - I believe there was important work information saved on your phone - and I had suggested dinner. And that is how we met."

You don't say anything, impressed. Although personally you prefer the story of how you actually met, you know it's perfect. You're impressed by how well he can play this game.

"What do you think?" He hummed.

"I think if Amelie ever asks us how we met, you should tell her the exact same story." You look him in the eye, "Did you invent it on the spot or had you been thinking about it all evening?"

He puts down his fork and leans forward to whisper, "You did want to see the mischief no?"

You laugh, "Always. Life would be too boring without it."

"I would have to agree."

He looks down, his lips spreading slowly as if he shouldn't be amused but is. You go back to your meal, trying not to sneak too many obvious glances at him. Although technically it's your second date/non-date with Loki it doesn't feel like it. Somehow it feels like the first and the hundredth at once. You genuinely want to know as much as you can about him yet at the same time, you feel like you're somehow on the same page. That even without this re-con date, you could have easily fooled Brian and Amelie again.

"If Amelie starts asking me questions about you," you give into your curious side, "would you like me to base my answers in truth or do I just make stuff up?"

"As in what kind of stuff?" He asks.

"I don't know, like that before you met me you were a crazy cat man and lived with six cats alone in your apartment." You can barely hide your smile when his eyes widen.

"And how would the topic of my cat obsession arise?"

"She could always ask me either of us lives with animals."

The corner of his mouth is barely quirked up but you can tell, as he tilts his head and crinkles his nose ever so slightly, that he's enjoying your hypothetical game. "Maybe I would answer first."

"Oh? And what would you say then?" You taunt.

"That, unlike the crazy cat person you assumed me to be when we first met, I only have one."

His green eyes are alight, daring you to decide whether or not he's lying. You've seen him lie. You've seen him tell the truth. Now, you have no idea. He doesn't say anything, cutting into his meal without taking his eyes off you. You squint yours in observation.

"What colour is he?" You ask fishing for clues.

"Black."

"His name?"

"Bard." He takes a sip of water to try and hide his smile.

His little smirk makes you think he's lying. "If I went to your place right now would I be able to see him?"

"Is that you're way of getting me home or are you asking me if I'm lying (y/n)? Are you saying you yield?"

You feel your cheeks heat. You don't lose. But apparently neither does he. You want to wipe that smug grin off his face. By proving him wrong or by kissing him? You push the stupid thought right out of your head. What are you doing? This isn't a real date and you're not interested. Even if you were, he's not. Focus, you scold.

His brows lower as if sensing the change. You don't want to make anything weird. There's nothing to make it weird with, you tell yourself.

You wipe your hands on the napkin and cross your arms, "I'm not giving up because I don't lose."

"Neither do I. Now where does that leave us?" He croons.

"I'm tempted to say equal winners but,"

He finishes for you "That would mean neither of us are."

"Exactly."

"How about this," he starts, "tell me something and I'll decide whether or not you're telling the truth."

You point your fork towards your chest, "about myself?"

He nods, "think of it as re-con...and a way to decide a winner."

"Okay," you test out the word, warming up to the idea, "You only get to ask two questions like I did."

"Of course." He amends, "It's only fair."

You try and think of something. You don't know whether you should tell the truth or not. You don't want to go with anything too obvious. The way his gaze is focused on you now, taking in every inch of your face, makes you shiver. It also makes you think that maybe there's no way you'll win. The thought alone makes you want to win even more. You love a good challenge.

"All right Loki," you can't help but notice how much you like the sound of his name off your lips, "If Amelie asked me if I grew up in New York and I answered with born and raised, would you say I'm lying or telling the truth?"

He pauses, thinking your questions through, "Can you drive?"

"Yes."

"Do you work for a marketing firm?"

You're surprised by the question. "Yes."

You think he's wasted his second question but when he says, "I know what I would say" you're not so sure.

"Would you like me to go first or would you like to go ahead?" He asks.

Your heart is hammering in anticipation. "go ahead."

"You're telling the truth." He affirms.

"Sure?"

He only nods.

You let out a defeated sigh and ground out the words, "Fine. You're right."

His lips curl into a wide, heart stopping smile. Suddenly, you might not be so bummed about the fact that he guessed right.

You purse your lips. "Why'd you ask a question you already knew the answer to?"

He nods like he was expecting the question, "If you answered the first question like you answered the second I would know you're telling the truth. If you didn't I would know you were lying. If you told me you couldn't drive, the truth would have been obvious."

Piecing his logical together you ask, "So what is my tell?"

He points to your neck, "you touched your chain when answering the first question and not the second. When you first introduced me to Brian, you did the same."

"I'm surprised you remembered." You whisper.

His smile falls as if realizing he said something he probably shouldn't have and shrugs. His eyes drop to his plate as he takes a bite as if to stop himself from saying more.

You're touched by his attentiveness but once again slightly wary. There aren't too many people you know who would notice that kind of thing and the more you see Loki, the more you begin to wonder if he actually is a con man. You want to say it would bother you and that you would just have to tell Brian you two broke up, but you know that's a lie. You're too competitive. You enjoy Loki's company too much. And if you're being honest, you sell products to people who ultimately don't even need them, how different is that?

You push the thoughts away. You haven't forgotten that right now, you're losing. That's what matters. "Can I guess? This could be a tie you know. I haven't lost yet."

He motions for you to go ahead.

"You're lying."

"Is that so?" He taunts.

You raise your chin. "Yes."

He shakes his head and chuckles at the expression on your face.

You're shocked. "No. Really? You own a cat named Bard?"

"I was telling the truth."

His victorious look makes you say, "best two out of three?"

His lips spread into a wolfish grin, "deal."

The rest of the meal passes by in a blur of questions and laughter. Best two out of three had turned into so many questions you lost track who was winning. You had learned, amongst other things, that his favourite activity as a kid had been magic, he did not have three sisters - despite him having tried to convince you otherwise - and that he had only recently moved to New York. You had asked why he had moved but he had only shrugged, saying that he had had to get away. You hadn't pressed the matter any further.

It had been a while since you had had such a good time. Since you broke up with Brian you had thrown yourself into work - not that it was a bad thing - and you hadn't gone out with your friends much. You realized that, even if it was just a quiet night in, you should really catch up with them. You missed this. You really did miss this.

You're standing outside the restaurant in the cool air, and you let out a long breath. Despite all the usual city noises, the night feels peaceful.

"May I walk you home?"

You shake your head. "How about I walk you home instead. I think it's safer if the person who's lived here all their life does the walking around alone at night."

He's about to protest but you raise a brow. There really isn't anything he can say to make you change your mind. You're not actually dating. Just because he's taking you out to dinner doesn't mean he walks you home after. You know a part of you is doing this just to remind yourself that he's only here to help you out. You can feel yourself starting to get carried away and you refuse to let it go any farther. You start to think that maybe you shouldn't have picked the most handsome man off the street. Second most handsome still would've annoyed Brian.

He motions for you to follow him and when you begin to walk, asks, "And what happens if I hear that you've been mugged on your way home?"

"It won't have been your fault if that's what you're implying." You jerk your chin up, "but trust me I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

He looks down at you and you can tell that he's at least a little impressed. "I trust you. What I don't trust are other people. But," he quickly adds, "I won't say a thing. You may walk me home."

You dip your head in a curt nod. "Good."

You make your way down the street in an easy silence for the first few blocks, enjoying the night air until you remember his earlier promise, "so...your brother?"

"I did promise I would tell you didn't I?" He looks straight ahead.

You note that his fingers are twitching, trying not to curl into a ball. It's clear to you that this is a touchy subject. You shouldn't press it. It's not like you actually need to know everything about each other. After all he's already shared more tonight than you thought someone as private as him would. You decide to offer him an alternative. Or a way out. You're only curious.

"How about you don't tell me what you did but something else about you two."

He stays silent, either lost in thought or ignoring your suggestion. You don't push. Eventually you get to a street with very few headlights, bathed in darkness. You think this might be one of the darkest streets in the city.

That's when he speaks up, shielded by the shadows, "He's...my brother...he's the favourite...he's...he was meant to be..."

You let him stumble over his words, surprised by the sudden contrast in behaviour. You don't try and help him find the words. You wouldn't know where to begin anyways. He runs his fingers through his hair. "My brother..." he starts again, "we aren't quite on speaking terms right now."

You put a hand on his arm. "why?"

He stops walking and looks down at you, most of his features cloaked in darkness. You don't let him answer. "you don't have to say anything...as long as you're okay that's what matters."

You can't really see the look on his face but you can feel his eyes on you. You don't say a word. Neither does he. You notice that your hand is still on his arm but you don't move it. You're afraid that if you move a muscle, whatever this is will shatter to pieces.

"I don't know who's at fault." His voice is hoarse, broken. "I think it's them...but what if it's me?"

You don't know who them is. You guess his brother must be included but who else is, you have no idea.

You wait, until you realize that maybe he's actually asking you the question.

"What if you are?" You can feel him start to pull away but you hold on, just enough for him to let you continue, "what if you aren't? What if you all are? What if none of you are and that's just life? In the end... I don't think it matters. He's your brother...he'll love you and you'll love him, no matter what right?"

You take a step back pulling him into the light where you had stood. You see the pain in his eyes like he's struggling with the words. You almost want to take them back. Was it really your place to say anything? But you could tell, as soon as you had seen the goofy smile on his face when he had first mentioned his brother, that it was something constantly on his mind, that he needed to talk about it. Maybe that's why he had agreed to that date in the first time. Maybe he had wanted to take his mind off of things and you just brought everything up like an idiot. But maybe, just for tonight, it had been what he needed. You hope that's the case.

The pain in his green eyes lessens. Whether it's because the pain has ebbed away or he masked it better you're not sure.

He lifts his arm in a silent offer to keep walking. You intertwine your arm with his and walk to his apartment, trying to keep your thoughts at bay. You're not hand in hand. No, that's for two other people who have to put on a show.

He stops in front of a lavish sky rise with a doorman and says, "This is me."

You nod.

"I look forward to that date next week (y/n)." It's only a quirk of a smile but the sight of it makes you smile, "Goodnight."

He lets go and walks to his building. You watch until he gets to the door and then turn away.

"(y/n)?" His voice stops you.

You turn around. "Yes?"

"I hope you're right."

You smile, "I know I am."


	6. Chapter 6

For someone who said he didn't like texting, Loki had answered as soon as you had let him know when your next date would be. You had been disappointed when Amelie had suggested Saturday because you had hoped to get to see Loki earlier than that but your disappointed hadn't lasted long. He had texted back, asking when you got off work and all week (except Tuesday of course) you took turns walking each other home. On the Monday you had felt a little uncertain knowing that the last time you had seen him things had gotten pretty personal but as soon as you saw that wolfish smirk of his, that worry disappeared.

You talked about everything from your fake relationship to the pain Brian's marketing job was causing you to stupid things like what your reaction would be if you figured out there were actually other realms. Every once in a while, even though he didn't share much about himself, you would catch glimpses into his life. Sometimes they were small things like mentions of the stupidities he did with his brother and other times it would be bigger things like the look on his face when he mentioned his mother that told you just how much she meant to him. No matter what you talked about, you had never realized how short your commute could be.

You look around for Loki. You're early for you're date, which, if you're being honest, has never happened before. You're always late. You decide to take the time to try and brainstorm ideas for your meeting with Brian on Monday. He's shot down everything you showed him during the past week and you don't know if it's because he's being petty or if it's because you're ideas actually are kinda shitty. Your deadline is the end of the month and after almost two weeks of working on his project, you're nowhere near a result that will land you that promotion. You don't want to let yourself get discouraged though, you're going to get this done and get it done right, you have to.

You're typing furiously, caught in an idea, when you sense someone standing in front of you. Even absorbed in your work, it isn't hard for you to know who it is. You recognize the subtle sent of his cologne and the dark suit in the corner of your vision.

"Gimme a second." You say, without bothering to look up.

You've lost any sort of formality you might have had with him before hand and he waits in easy silence for you to finish your train of thought. When you put your phone away, you shake your head with a little laugh.

"No matter the occasion you're in a suit aren't you? I'm curious to see what you'd look like out of it."

He raises a brow, "You'd like to see me out of it?"

You feel your cheeks heat, and you swat his arm, "Out of it and into something else. You know what I meant."

"I'm only getting into character love." He slides his hands into his pockets.

You roll your eyes. "Save it for when they get here."

He smirks.

You look around the stadium entrance for Brian and Amelie, knowing it's not like Brian to be late. He always hated it when you would arrive in a flurry with some story to explain why you were late. It always made him grumpy for the rest of the evening.

You turn your attention back to Loki. "I've been meaning to ask you if you actually like baseball or not."

"Not particularly." He shrugs. "I don't quite understand it."

"I think that might be because the suit is stopping you from enjoying the experience completely." You tease. "Or you just haven't gone with the right person yet."

You want to take the words back as soon as they're out of your mouth. They're too close to the real kind of flirting you do when you're actually interested in a guy.

"Getting into character as well I see," he says, the words reassuring and disappointing you at the same time, "are you saying that I should be wearing something like that?" He gestures to the Yankees cap and jersey you're wearing.

"Yes." you nod enthusiastically, "you have no choice but to show some pride when the Red Sox are playing."

He looks at you with a funny little look on his face, "is that the team you're taking for?"

You take a step back with a hand to your chest, "oh god, you know nothing about baseball. Okay that's fine, it's all good, it's okay. Just know we're taking for the Yankees. The team in blue. It'll be fine."

"I had figured they were in blue." He says.

"And yet when I said Red Sox it didn't clue you in?"

He lifts a brow, his lips in a straight line, sass emanating from him.

You laugh, "Okay okay! I'll explain some of rules along the way but as long as you can pretend to be a boyfriend who shares my love of baseball we'll be fine."

"That I can do." he lifts your cap from your head and places it on his own. "And, how does it look?"

You bite your lip to hold back from laughing, "Um, would you like me to lie?"

"No."

"It's strange."

"Good. Being here feels a little strange."

Before he can take it off, you hear Amelie's giggly hello. Your eyes snap up to Loki's and he gives you a little wink before you spin around, his arm sliding around your shoulders.

"Hi Amelie! How are you?" You give her shoulder a little squeeze.

"Oh I'm good! I've been looking forward to this double date all week! I just felt like we really clicked last time, didn't we?" She pushes her hair behind her ears.

Your head bobs up and down, "I totally agree. I only wished we had met sooner."

She takes your hand, her big blue eyes looking up into yours with pure kindness. "Oh my god same." The smile on your face feels less forced and you can't help but like Amelie. Just a little.

"Brian. Nice to see you again," Loki drawls, "How are things at work?"

Brian shoots a look in your direction before answering. "Good."

There's a moment of awkward silence. You feel Loki's fingers drumming along your bicep and you snuggle in a little closer, just for good measure.

You break the silence. "Shall we?"

Brian motions for you to lead the way and Amelie pops up on your other side, "I hope you two haven't been waiting long! My mother called right before we were supposed to leave and, not that she's in trouble or anything, but she's getting up there you know and..." She keeps chatting but you don't really hear the words she's saying.

You figure as long as you nod and make the right expressions at the right time, she won't know the difference. You enter the stadium and there are so many people, it's getting hard to weave through the crowd but Loki's arm remains steady around your shoulder. You doubt a random stranger could separate the two of you even if they tried.

"So basically, my mother is the biggest chatterbox on the planet and that's why we're late." Amelie concludes. "You should have seen Brian though, he was so worried about being on time! It was adorable!"

Amelie grins at Brian, her tiny nose crinkling in a pretty adorable way. He returns it but you know its only halfhearted. You've been on the receiving end of that smile too many times not to know it.

"Amelie, are you as big of a baseball fan as (y/n)?" Loki asks, turning his intense, green eyed stare on her.

She blushes, "oh, well, um, I don't know about that...I do love it though! When I was a little girl.." She spouts off into another story.

Loki is nodding as if its the most interesting thing he's ever heard in his life and the more questions he asks her, the tighter Brian's grip around Amelie gets. At one point he pulls her so close, she looks a little startled.

When you break through the crowd to your section of the stadium, Loki dips his head, his breath tickling your ear, "If I leave you for a bit, will you be able to survive her incessant chattering?"

You turn your head, and place your hand on his chest, "Don't be so dramatic." you whisper. "I'll be fine."

He shoots you a sly grin before excusing himself and heading off in the opposite direction you came from.

"You two are just adorable." Amelie gushes.

You notice she had just seen the whole exchange but thankfully it seems like she didn't hear anything. "Thanks... I'm so glad I met him...he's just...different. I feel like I can be completely myself around him, you know? Competitive side and all."

She nods, believing every word of your act. A part of you wonders if the words actually are an act. They didn't quite feel like one. You tell yourself that it doesn't mean anything. You and Loki are friends now and it's perfectly acceptable to be glad you met a friend.

She takes your hand. "How did you meet?"

You give her hand a squeeze. "You should ask Loki. He's so much better at telling that story than I am."

"Should we wait for him?" She looks around for your supposed boyfriend, "or do we find our seats?"

You shrug, "we can head to our seats, I'm sure he'll be able to find us."

"Are you sure?" Brian sneers.

"Don't worry about it, he's a grown man. He's very good at finding his way around." You send him a peachy smile and head down the stairs towards your seat.

You're thankful that Amelie begs to sit beside you so that you don't have to try and make small talk with Brian while waiting for Loki to come back. Where he went, you have no clue and you only hope that you were right about him being able to find his way back. The stadium is pretty packed, people filling in from everywhere with their beers and hot dogs. The rival energy is palpable and you let yourself smile for real for the first time on this awkward double date. You're pretty sure the only person who doesn't think this is awkward is Amelie.

"So do you think maybe you should go find your boyfriend?" Brian spits out the word boyfriend like it leaves a disgusting taste in his mouth.

"I don't think she would have to look very far."

You can't believe what you're seeing. Instead of the jacket, he's wearing a jersey similar to yours, your cap is still on his head and he's holding four beers. You've never seen him look so...you don't know if the word is average or out of place. Either way, you can't help the grin on your face.

You don't know if you want to tease him or thank him for putting in so much effort. You do know that the pure hatred you see on Brian's face when Loki hands him his beer is priceless especially when Amelie turns to him and says, "isn't that sweet of him?"

For a second, you wonder if there's a pointed message to her words. Just the fact that you're asking yourself that question makes you realize how perfect Loki is playing this.

Loki hands you the beer and takes a seat beside you, his arm draping over your shoulder once again. You're extremely aware that whenever you're with Brian, some part of him is always touching you and judging by the look on Brian's face, he's well aware too. There's no mistaking who's date you are.

"Do I look the part now?" Loki whispers.

You can't help but laugh, "yes, but I think I preferred the suit."

He brushes the hair away from your neck, sending shivers down your spine, "So do I. But I must admit, it might only be because the jersey looks much better on you than it does on me."

You're aware that Amelie is trying her hardest not to look like she's paying attention, so you decide to lean into the whole act. You lock onto his gaze, your fingers dancing along his chest, "Might? You should just admit that I look better in your clothes than you do."

He chuckles, "you have no idea."

His green eyes are bright, dancing with mischief as if he knows something you don't. You love that look. You've only seen it a few times but you know every time you do, you know you got him. The real him. It's exhilarating and brings out your competitive side every time.

"So how has it been getting to work with Brian?" Amelie snaps you out of your trance and you tear your eyes away from Loki.

"Oh you know Brian, I've never met anyone pickier about his work than he is" you laugh, "but all in all, everything is going well."

Amelie giggles, "It's like his baby."

On the other side of Amelie, Brian refuses to comment or even look at you. You know he's fuming and, as you notice Amelie glance from Loki's fingers aimlessly drumming along your shoulder to her boyfriend, you can only guess that she's probably wondering why he's sitting there with his arms crossed.

"How long until the game begins?" Loki asks, his lips spreading into his sly smirk.

You place your hand on his thigh, "Not long. Here's what you need to know..."

"So what do you think?" You ask, somewhere around the fifth inning.

The first half of the game went by in a blur. Loki had picked up the rules pretty quickly and although he hadn't been as enthusiastic as you, Amelie had gotten right up beside you, shouting at the players regardless of the fact that they couldn't hear either of you. You had been surprised by how loudly a girl her size could shout. You knew it was supposed to be a double date but when you weren't absorbed in the game, you spent most of your time only chatting with Loki.

He stays silent for a moment, considering his answer and shrugs, "It's not as terrible as I imaged it would be."

"What a stellar review." You roll your eyes.

Loki's about to defend himself when Amelie smacks your arm excitedly. "look (y/n), the Kiss Cam is on!"

You lean back into your seat and smile, nestled under Loki's arm. The Kiss Cam never gets old. As cheesy as it makes you, you've always enjoyed this part of bring at the game. A seventy some year old couple, decked out in Yankees gear from head to toe, smile lovingly at one another and share a peck on the lips before the camera pans to a young couple waving their arms excitedly, reading for their on screen moment.

Amelie sighs, "aren't they just the cutest!"

You nod, trying to mimic her enthusiasm.

"What's going on?" Loki whispers in your ear.

You smirk and take your eyes off of the jumbotron, "the cameras go around zooming in on two people and when they do, those people have to kiss."

He looks up at the new couple being filmed. "And the point is?"

"I don't know...to share the love? It's fun and all you have to do is watch." You can't help but be amused by his confusion.

"And if you and I are on that screen?"

You whip your attention to the screen and see yourself alongside Loki, who's wearing his signature wolfish grin. Your wide eyes are obvious to everyone in the stadium, which only makes the camera man stay on you two longer than he normally would have. You can hear the crowd chanting for you to kiss because it's taking so long and you feel Amelie poke you a few times.

"Is this part of the deal?" Loki's green eyes are serious, waiting for you to make the final decision.

If you don't kiss him, you'll have to find some sort of excuse as to why you didn't want to kiss your boyfriend. But do you want to kiss him? If you're being honest, you've been wondering what it would be like for the past couple weeks. It's only a kiss, you tell yourself, it won't change anything between the two of you.

You dip your head slightly so that no one else knows you just answered his question and his hand moves to cup your face as he leans in. His lips are soft on yours, tentative, almost as if he's afraid you're going to pull away but when you slip your hand up his chest, his hand moves to the back of your neck pulling you closer.

The kiss doesn't last long and he pulls away, his lips curled into a grin. You're breathless. It couldn't have been longer than a couple seconds but your heart is pounding in your chest. The look in his eyes tells you he knows that. You want to wipe that look off his face so that you're the one wearing that expression but you bite your lip instead. A part of you wants to pull him back and kiss him again, deeper and longer - forget the rest of the stadium watching - but another part, the part that doesn't want you to get hurt, keeps you rooted to your seat. You can't admit that you liked the kiss more than you should have. It wouldn't mean anything good if you did. You paste a winning smile onto your face. There's nothing else to it. You're both just playing the game. And judging by Amelie's happy little squealing, you're both pretty good at it.

The arm wrapped around your shoulders pulls back so that his fingers brush along the nape of your neck and he removes all physical contact. He leans closer, making sure that nothing but his breath touches you, and murmurs "so (y/n)? Does this mean we're winning?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Well that was fun." You say, standing outside of your apartment building.

Loki is staring down at you, his hands in his pockets, "The game or watching Brian get angrier and angrier?"

"Both." You amend with a smile.

The corner of his lips turn up slightly but it's only a ghost of the smirk you saw all evening. You think back to the second time the kiss cam went around. Amelie had been waving like crazy to get the camera's attention and when Brian had sat there with his arms crossed, it had taken all of about two seconds for them to start arguing. You had a feeling that Amelie had started getting somewhere along the way even if she had stayed kind to you all night. All of Loki's little displays of affection hadn't gone unnoticed and after the kiss cam incident, she had basically ignored Brian the rest of the night. You felt a little bad for her. You hadn't wanted to make her miserable, you had only wanted to win.

Kissing Loki had never been a part of that plan but you were glad it happened. Even if it probably meant absolutely nothing to him, it still got you to where you wanted to be; winning the breakup.

"I believe he still has feelings for you."

You're about to laugh at his remark but the seriousness in his eyes, appearing so much darker in the early evening light, makes you realize he isn't kidding. His unnerving gaze almost makes you wonder if it would bother him if Brian did have feelings for you. Almost.

"He doesn't, trust me. He's probably annoyed with the fact that Amelie seems to prefer you over him."

He cocks his head, "Does it annoy you?"

You roll your eyes, "Don't be an idiot."

"That's not an answer." He drawls.

"No. No it doesn't bother me."

He smirks and you shake your head, an unconvincing smile on your lips.

"I've seen the way he looks at you (y/n)," His smile fades, "He still has feelings for you."

"The only way he could ever look at me is like a child looking at a toy he put down and is annoyed that another kid is playing with." You blurt out, fired up. "I've never been more than a notch on his belt while he waited for the perfect girl to come along."

Loki raises a brow. You can tell he's surprised by your reaction. You take in a deep breath, getting ready to explain but he shakes his head.

"You don't need to explain. I've seen what an idiot he is. He knows he has lost something important yet he's too blind to understand why you're so special."

You look down at your shoes and let out a humourless laugh that makes you cringe at the sound, "still in the act I see."

"I'm not." You look up at him, surprised. "In the act, I mean."

He looks like he's trying his hardest not to move, as if he's afraid that if he does, you'll bolt. His eyes search yours when you don't say anything. You don't know what to answer. You know you should say something soon because this is the first time you've ever seen Loki look like he wishes he could take back something he's said but you can't think of what to say. Your initial instinct had been to tell him that he was being ridiculous and that of course he was still in the act but there was a finality in his words that you hadn't been able to argue with.

Before you can say something, he wishes your a curt, polite goodnight and turns away.

You grab his hand, "Loki wait."

He doesn't turn around so you walk to face him, your hand still holding his. "Why are you leaving?"

"It seemed like the right thing to do."

"Did it really?" You whisper.

He runs his free hand through his hair and sighs. You raise a brow. He looks from side to side as if he's looking for a way out but eventually he mutters, "Yes..No. Yes."

You duck your head to try and catch his gaze, "That's not a very definitive answer."

He's about to put his hands into his pockets when he looks down at your intertwined hands in surprise as if he had forgotten you hadn't let go. You follow his gaze and, for some reason, it's as if they're the only things in the world that are clear. Something is different but you can't put your finger on what's it is. His free hand lift your chin and before you can question what he's doing his lips are on yours.

There's an urgency to the kiss as if he's afraid that he won't ever get to kiss you again and his fingers loosen themselves from yours and slip around your back to pull you closer, traveling along your spin. Your hands curl into his hair as he deepens the kiss and -

A cough makes you pull away. You turn towards the sound, which happens to be Amelie, standing there, wringing out her hands with an awkward smile on her face. Brian is nowhere to be seen but you figure he can't be far.

"Umm, sorry to interrupt."

"It's not a problem Amelie." Loki's hand remains on the small of your back. "Is something wrong?"

She shakes her head, "Oh, no no, nothing's wrong! (y/n) still has my phone that's all. I noticed it not long after you left."

You fumble around in your clutch. You could've sworn that you had given it back to her, but there it is, packed in beside your own phone.

You take it out and hand it to her. "I can't believe I forgot, sorry Amelie."

She smiles with a little shrug, "It's okay. Clearly you had...other things on your mind."

You feel the heat rise to your cheeks. You don't know what to say. Again. You don't want to admit that you had 'other things' on your mind because you're worried Loki would hear the truth in your words. But if you don't agree , it wouldn't make sense to her. You're supposed to be dating him after all.

"That would be my fault." Loki saves you from having to answer. "I've been pretty good at distracting (y/n) all evening."

You see longing in Amelie's eyes when she looks at the smirk Loki is sending your way and it sends a pang of annoyance through you. You step a little closer to him, just to remind her that he isn't single. At least as far as she's concerned. You're starting to realize why Loki hadn't believed your answer before.

"Okay well before I head home, Brian wanted to get together again next week. What do you guys say?" Amelie asks.

"Brian did?" You blurt out.

"Well he suggested it but I was about to! I just love having such a great couple to double date with!"

Loki smiles, "We feel the same. We will get in touch."

She bids you goodnight and heads down the street. You watch her go until she turns the corner but you're rooted to the spot tucked at Loki's side. You know if you move, then you'll have to talk about that kiss. After an eternity of awkward silence, you step away from him and take in a deep breath.

"Before you say anything," he blurts, "I noticed her walking towards us and I thought it would...I would not have kissed you otherwise. I understand our deal."

You quickly paste a smile on your face to hide the wave of disappointment crashing over you, "It was good thinking." You force a laugh, "I knew there was a reason I picked you."

His eyes narrow, analyzing you like a problem he can't quite figure out. You have no idea if he bought your banter. The only recognizable emotion in his eyes is confusion but you're not sure if it's because he sensed your disappointment or if it's because of something else.

"How long does it usually take to win a breakup?" He finally asks.

"You want out." You don't even bother phrasing it as a question you're so sure he doesn't want to keep this up if you actually have feelings for him.

His eyes widen. "No. Not at all. I just don't understand why he would want to keep spending time with you when you are obviously happy with someone else."

You feel your body relax and you cock your head, trying for normal after such a weird evening, "does it bother you that he does?"

His wolfish grin returns, "Not at all love. I only feel bad for him. And for Amelie."

Somehow you're not quite convinced but you push the doubt away. You haven't been sure of anything tonight. A part of you thinks that maybe this would be easier if you called it off but you're not ready to stop seeing Loki. You realized that when you thought he had been ready to call it quits.

"Of course. Poor them, madly in love with us."

His eyes light up, filled with the kind of mischief that sends your heart racing, "What do you say we change the terms of our agreement?"

"What did you have in mind?" You ask.

"I think we have more chances of getting caught if we only act like we're together when we are on a date. I think it would only make sense to act like a couple whenever we are together, regardless of a double date." He proposes, titling his head with raised brows like he does whenever he's daring you to do something.

You take a moment to think about it but there's nothing to think about. You already know your answer. "I agree. I mean, it only makes sense."


	8. Chapter 8

"Do you think we should wait for them inside?" You ask.

"Maybe." Loki mumbles, distracted.

He's glaring at the guy checking you out until he gets the message and guiltily walks back into the tiny Irish Pub. When Brian had suggested getting drinks after work sometime in the near future, you hadn't thought he had actually been serious about it. It had been two weeks of nothing from Brian. He hadn't come into the office to look over your almost final marketing plans either, so when he had confirmed his plans with with Loki instead of with you, you hadn't seen it coming.

Loki had met you after work like usual but instead of walking you home, he had informed you that tonight was your next double date. You had taken one look at your office clothes and hoped Amelie and Brian wouldn't be too dressed up. Not that Loki ever had that problem, being dressed up in his dark suit like usual. But you hadn't been expecting a double date on a random Thursday night so your office clothes would have to do.

You stare up at Loki, who's now peering so intently through the wide bar window he doesn't notice your observing. You smile. You don't think you'll ever get bored of looking at him. But your smile fades as quickly as it appeared. Lately, when you do look at him, you keep wondering how you got here. Not here, here like the bar, but here in this situation. A situation that means you now have a public boyfriend. A boyfriend that doesn't exist when there are no other witnesses around. You don't know if here is good for your sanity or not so you try not to think too much about it.

When he had suggested changing the terms of your agreement, you hadn't known how you would act when you saw him again. Waiting for you after work the next day, you hadn't had a chance to sort it out any further. He had been leaning against a lamppost as he scrolled aimlessly through his phone and, although he had been the perfect picture of cool and collected, your heart had been hammering in your chest as you walked out of your building. How were you supposed to act? Did you greet him with a kiss? Your palms were getting sweaty. What was he expecting? What had you usually been doing in this situation? You couldn't have remembered to save your life.

He had lifted his eyes to meet yours and it was like he had known, even at a distance, that you were escalating into full blown panic. He lazily pushed off the post and in a few easy strides, stood so close to you that you had to crane your neck to look up at him. Your pounding heart only quickened and you hadn't been sure whether it had been because of the nerves or his closeness. If anyone asked you now, you still couldn't give them a straight answer.

He saved you from having to say anything when he had whispered, "You set the pace...the rules, I mean." and the seriousness in his words was only cut slightly by the familiar mischief alight in his eyes as he continued, "I can make anything work. Trust me."

And then, despite the disappointing reminder that this was a game with rules rather than a relationship with feelings, it had been the reminder you needed to calm your nerves. With the pressure eased off your chest, you pressed a featherlight kiss to his lips. You then backed away and a sly grin tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Where to?" He had asked, a brow arching as if you were about to embark on a daring adventure, "your place, or mine?"

To anyone passing by, they would have gotten the exact image he had been trying to portray with that loaded question; a couple not yet serious enough to have moved in together but exclusive enough just the same. You hadn't been able to help the smile on your lips because you had known. Known it was all just a part of the game. And changing the terms of your agreement hadn't changed the fact that you were in this together.

"Enjoying the view?" Loki drawls.

You snap out of the memory, your eyes focusing on him once more, "I can't say there's much of a view toenjoy. I had to resort to getting lost in thought instead."

He purses his lips to contain a smile and tilts his head, "Somehow I doubt that. But say the word love, and I can make those thoughts a reality."

His words send a shiver down your spine, as if he's somehow aware of the racy dreams he's starred in lately. The look on his face makes you think that he's more than willing to leave the bar to back up his claims.

You force yourself to act normally and roll your eyes, "Save that for when our double date gets here."

Loki glances down at his watch, "Would you like to wait in the bar?"

You shoot him a pointed look, "I already asked you that question."

His brows furrow in confusion and you laugh it off, "it's fine, lets wait inside."

After grabbing drinks, Loki leads you through the bar, your hand intertwined with his, searching for a seat. You end up somewhere towards the back of the room, near a billiard table and a dart board, standing at a tall, no seated table. It's pretty packed for a Thursday, the music loud and the crowd happy the week is almost over. After a few sips of your drink you can't help but notice Loki's eyes are trained on the couple almost done a game of pool.

"Have you ever played?" You ask, once the man sinks the eight ball.

He smirks, "maybe."

Still facing him, you back away towards the pool table. His eyes track your every move. "Is that your way of hiding the fact that you're very experienced and want me to underestimate you so you can win?"

"Maybe."

"Well it's not going to work. I don't plan on losing."

He stalks toward you in a few quick steps, reaching for the stick on the table behind you, practically pinning you in between his strong body and the table.

Your breath hitches.

"What do I get if I win?" He says just loud enough to be heard over the music and laughter.

Annoyed that he has the upper hand, you shoot him your most seductive smile, "You'll just have to see later. That is, if you actually win."

"So clearly that 'maybe' of yours was actually a no." You laugh as the white ball sails past the six and into the nearby side pocket.

His eyes slide over to you and he raises a brow. You doubt you've ever seen that much sass in one look and it only makes you laugh even harder. It's the fourth or fifth game, you're not too sure, and he hasn't won a single one yet. More accurately, he hasn't even come close.

You pick the white ball out of the pocket and place it back on the table to where it was before he hit it. "How about you try that again?"

"I don't need your pity." He grumbles, handing you back the ball.

You keep your hand on his, "I thought you said you didn't lose."

"I don't" he grounds out, "thank you for the reminder."

You're not deterred by his grumpiness. He's seen worse from you after a long day of work. You can handle him. He doesn't scare you.

"Then let me help you make sure that doesn't happen."

You put the ball back on the table. His face softens as you slide your fingers up his bare forearms to his black rolled up shirt sleeve at his elbow. You continue up his bicep until you're standing behind him. He had taken off the suit jacket about two games ago and you had to stop yourself from staring. It had to be a crime to look that good in just a shirt. You try your best to get him into the proper position despite the size difference between the two of you. You play with his long, calloused fingers, moving them until they're properly holding the cue. With your other hand you go to reach for the back of his stick but your arms aren't as long as his. You decide to rest it as far along on his toned forearm as you can and slowly push to cue forward. It glides through his fingers, back and forth until you're pretty sure he's gotten the hang of it.

"All you have left to do it hit it."

He angles his head towards yours. His face is so close your lips are almost touching. "And what happens if I miss?" He breathes.

You shrug. "Then we try again."

His green eyes search yours as if surprised by your answer. You're sure he can feel your heart hammering through your chest, pressed against his back. His gaze drops to your lips and you're almost sure he going to kiss you. You're almost sure you want nothing else. After an electrified eternity, he lets out a breath and turns his attention back towards the ball. You desperately want to ask what went through his mind but you don't push.

"Then let's try." You think you hear him say.

He hits the ball but the shot goes wide. Not by a little but by a catastrophic distance.

You step away and cross your arms, trying to hide a smile, "You did that on purpose."

"Maybe."

You're about to show him how it's done when your phone buzzes against your thigh. You find a missed call from Amelie a half hour ago and a text apologizing profusely. When you don't move, Loki raises a brow, silently asking what's wrong. You can't tell him what's wrong. You can't tell him that you forgot that you were supposed to be pretending. That if it weren't for this game you play, you wouldn't have been here in the first place. That he would have walked you home and you would have spent the night alone in your apartment. You can't tell him that, for a moment, everything felt real. You can't tell him you forgot this was a game and you forgot about winning.

You shake your head as if to shake the thoughts away with it. "Looks like we got stood up."

"Good." His face is dead serious.

You cock your head, stomping down on the hope that maybe he feels the same way, and school your face into your usual playful grin, "Why's that? You don't want them to see how terrible you are at pool?"

He looks like he's about to say something else but shakes his head with a small chuckle. "Exactly."

"So what do we do?" You ask.

"We have time for one more game."

You lean forward, your palms flat on the table. "Only one?"

His lips curl into a furtive grin and he racks up the balls for another round.


	9. Chapter 9

By the time you're standing in front of your apartment building, ready to say goodbye to Loki, the sky has turned dark. The city is quiet tonight, almost as if everyone else is still downtown, or tucked into their apartments. You had lost track of how many games you had played and when he had decided he had enough of losing - as you so kindly put it - he had ordered a bite to eat.

You never thought you'd think it, but Brian standing you up could turn out to be a very good thing. Especially when you weren't the one actually dating him.

You don't want this night to end. You don't want to burst this magical bubble that seems to have formed itself around the two of you. You're not sure whether or not Loki feels the same way though. Sure he seemed to have had a good time tonight but you have trouble believing that he's feeling the same kind of panic coursing through you at the thought of having to go up to an empty apartment.

You want to chalk it up to not wanting to be alone but a small part of you is able to admit that you don't want to be alone without him. You're constantly surprised by how connect you feel to him and tonight, like every other minute you've spent with Loki, he makes you feel challenged, assertive; alive. You had never found someone who could match your competitive nature without fault and the more time you spend with him, the harder it is to believe that you've only known him a little over a month.

He's looking down at you, his dark hair pulled back at the nape of his neck - the result of a particularly intense game of darts that ended with his arms wrapped around you as you were bent over with laughter - his eyes a dark emerald, almost black in the pitiful lamp light. He doesn't say anything. He only stares so you do the same, getting lost in mystery of his mischievous stare. You breath in the familiar scent of his cologne and wonder how you're going to say goodbye. You raise a brow, daring him to say something first. The corner of his mouth lifts but just barely. That's the smile that gives you courage to speak instead. It's your favourite smile; his real smile.

"We never discussed what happens if I win." You whisper boldly.

His grin falters, if only for a second, but it's enough to make you regret saying anything at all. He's looking at you like he can't quite believe the words that came out of your mouth. You want to take them back but you don't know how. He hasn't moved a muscle and you're about to scale into full blown panic - the kind you know from experience involves a lot of aimless babbling and making a fool of yourself. But he steps forward, keeping his hands jammed into his pockets and you decide to keep your mouth shut, waiting for whatever will happen next.

You tilt your head back, your eyes traveling from his chest along his neck, to his defined jaw until you reach his eyes. There are a couple inches at most between your two bodies and all you want to do is close the distance. Or run away and die of embarrassment. But the latter isn't an option. His intense gaze is rooting you to the spot, searching for something. You don't look away. You've never shied away from that dangerous glint in his eyes and you won't start now, no matter how much you want to tell him that you just got caught up in the act.

"Depends."

When he speaks up, you're mind has raced through so many excuses that you've actually forgotten what you've said to merit all this panic. "What?" You ask stupidly.

Your confusion seems to amuse him but not enough to earn that familiar smirk, "what you win depends..."

"Depends on what?" The empty street is the only reason he can hear you.

"Depends on what game we're playing right now."

There's something in his eyes that you've never seen before. A part of you wants to say that it's hope, but you can't be sure. It could be your own hope reflected in his eyes. The fact that he didn't tell you that you're being ridiculous is enough to make you think that maybe, just maybe, you haven't been imagining everything that's happened between the two of you.

Yet this could be your way out. You could tell him that you're playing the same game that you've been playing since you met on on the street that first day but you don't. You take in a deep breath and decide for honesty. Or at least some form of it. "What if I told you that I want to change the game..." Your heart pounds faster with every word you speak. "That I want to change it because the rules we're playing with right now are killing me?"

He shakes his head in disbelief. You're about to turn away but he catches your wrist, causing you turn your attention back to him. The corner of his mouth twitches upward.

"Here I thought I was losing." He murmurs right before his lips touch yours.


	10. Chapter 10

The boom of thunder tearing across the sky jolted him awake, his heart pounding in his chest. He forced himself to stay still. Loki now knew what Earth's regular thunder sounded like, and this wasn't it. This was something - someone - else. Someone he was all too familiar with.

Within the first week of arriving on Earth he had been unfortunate enough to bare witness to a late night thunderstorm. It had sent his heart racing and he had been sure that Thor had found him, ready to drag him back to Asgard. Every deafening blast had felt like a reminder of betrayal and a promise of imprisonment at the same time. It had taken half an hour for the thunderstorm to subside, the rest of a sleepless night to convince himself that he remained hidden here on Earth and three other thunderstorms to be able to distinguish them.

Loki sat up, about to leap out of the bed but paused, not wanting to wake (y/n). The thought of everything that had happened since that kiss, that real kiss downstairs, calmed him, if only a little. He had been wanting to kiss, really kiss (y/n), all evening. For the past couple weeks really. He still had trouble believing that they had wanted the same thing. It wasn't something he was used to. He reminded himself that (y/n) was real. This wasn't a trick.

It hadn't taken long for his gentle kiss to turn into something deeper, hungrier, but he had slowed down, remembering his earlier promise to let (y/n) set the pace. He was shocked that he had been able to remember that promise seeing as the only thing he could think of was how good it felt to have (y/n) so close, lips on lips.

(y/n) had pulled away, pupil dilated, and asked him to come upstairs to the apartment. He had agreed with what he had hoped had been a lazy, and not a desperately eager, grin. They had barely made it into the elevator before he had pinned (y/n) against the wall, his lips traveling from their mouth down to their neck. (y/n)'s hands had weaved their way through his hair and had tugged when he had gently nipped their bottom lip. He hadn't been able to stop himself from smiling through their kiss at (y/n)'s reaction. When the elevator had sounded he had pulled away as if nothing had ever happened. After all, they were now playing a different sort of game.

The walk from the elevator down the hall had felt like an eternity. But he had been waiting this long. He could master his patience once more. When they had made it into the apartment after enough key fumbling to wake the building, (y/n) had lifted onto their toes, a hand snaking its way along his chest. He had let out a sigh of relief, which had a devilish smirk spreading across (y/n)'s lips. It had sent his heart racing. (Y/n) had stopped inches away from his lips, moving as if to kiss him but never actually touching. They had then suggested watching a movie and Loki had felt a tug at the corner of his mouth, expecting no less from a worthy opponent. (y/n)'s eyes had lit up in a way he found himself hoping they would every time they saw each other.

So they had played. Barely touching throughout the first half of the movie. Only accidental brushes against the thigh or arm, followed by insincere apologies. They hadn't seen the end of the movie. Loki had no idea what it was about anyways. He had caved first. But from the look in (y/n)'s eyes, it was clear they were done playing.

Another crack of thunder, closer this time, shook Loki from the memory. He eased himself out of bed and brought the blankets higher over (y/n)'s exposed shoulder. A flash of their bodies pressed together, skin on skin, raced through his mind and he resisted the urge to curl under the blankets in search of (y/n)'s warmth. He couldn't let (y/n) be touched by this part of his past. He put on his discarded clothes strewn across the floor and left the room. He wouldn't do this here. He considered leaving a note but decided against it. His mind had immediately leapt to the dramatic and he didn't need to put (y/n) through the emotional turmoil that came with the If I Die Tonight note.

As Loki made his way up the stairs, heading toward the roof, he couldn't help but think how strange it had been that (y/n) had picked him out of the crowd that first day. He had been wandering around aimlessly, curious to see if anyone would notice a god in their midst - a game that had started to become quite dull after it became apart that these people were oblivious - when (y/n)'s eyes had settled on him. He had felt that stare and just like that, it was like (y/n) had known. And when they had presented him with that initial game, Loki had been immediately drawn in. He knew this new game would be so much more interesting.

He pushed his way out onto the roof, forcing against the blustering wind. There was no rain. Just a flash in the sky followed by a deafening crack. Loki looked around, his hair whipping around his face, until his eyes found his brother. It was too dark to see anything other than his massive silhouette but Loki would recognize Thor anywhere, with or without the thunder. Neither of them said a word as the storm subsided. He tried to quash the old, familiar feelings of pain, jealousy, fury and begrudging love. If he could feel nothing at all, everything would have been easier.

"I thought you were dead." In the newfound silence, Thor's voice rang through the air.

Loki pasted on a heartless grin, "I was merely missing."

His brother emerged from the shadows, armour glinting off of the city lights, face filled with a mixture of pity and disdain. "I mourned you brother. We all did."

"You can't fool me brother. Everything Odin has ever done is performance. I doubt he would start showing any real emotion concerning me, even if he did believe me to be dead." He scoffed.

"You know that isn't true."

Loki simply cocked his head and raised a brow. The wordless challenge spoke volumes.

Thor sighed, running a hand through his mess of blond hair. Interestingly enough, his hammer was nowhere in sight. "If you refuse to believe me about father then believe me when I say that mother is distraught."

The words clanged through Loki's chest, squeezing the breath from him. He had never wanted to hurt her. If he could have told her the truth her would have. But Loki was well aware that you could only properly fake your own death if everyone thought you were dead. And everyone included his mother, especially that she remained loyal to Odin. As much as he loved her, he couldn't trust her to keep his secret.

Loki forced his features into arrogant boredom. He refused to let Thor know how much his words had affected him. "I don't intend on leaving with you brother."

Thor stepped closer, "You stay here, why? So you can be a god among humans? These are good and innocent people. They have no need for your madness Loki! They do not deserve it."

"You couldn't leave me alone, could you." He growled. "Did you hunt me down to win daddy dearest's favour even further?"

"I came here to bring you home." Thor's voice cracked on the last word.

"I belong there no more than I belong here."

"You have family on Asgard; a family that love you. What do you have here?" He demanded.

"Nothing. Everything."

Loki didn't know what had given it away but Thor's eyes widened. Neither of them said anything. He refused to speak first in fear of giving something away that his brother had not yet assumed. Neither broke eye contact, their staring contest so similar to something they would have done as children.

Thor appeared to be chewing on the words until he let out a sigh. "Don't think you can use my...connection to earth against me Loki."

Loki took in the uncertainty etched on Thor's face. Harsh words without much bite.

"I tend to enjoy spending time with the humans dear brother." he drawled, hoping to mask his irritation. "I think I would much rather spend my time on earth than in a cell thank you."

"I don't remember you being particularly fond of the mortals. Why would you rather stay here rather than among our people?" His took a step forward as if to grab his arm.

Loki snapped, unable to leash his anger. "Because they don't look at me like I'm the monster people tell their children about at night."

Thor shook his head. "You know that's not true."

Loki only stared, not trusting himself to say anything.

"Did you tell them who you really are brother?"

The question hit Loki, fuelling the anger even further. Of course, he hadn't told (y/n) who he was. He hadn't wanted to end their little game and he knew as soon as the truth came out, their game would be over. It was why he hadn't told (y/n) anything that first night when he had had the chance. He had considered it, but decided he wanted to keep playing. There was never any fear in (y/n)'s eyes, only challenge and curiosity, and Loki had made a selfish decision not to say anything. He had never directly lied to (y/n) but he knew them well enough to know that it wouldn't matter. It never had to anyone else.

"No." He ground out. "They know nothing."

"Brother come home."

Thor reached again to put a hand on his arm but this time went right through the image of Loki.

Loki cocked his head, "Did you really think it would be that easy to bring me back? I'm so glad you never seem to learn brother. Give me on good reason why I should leave with you. Use your brains instead of your brawn to win this one. I'm curious to see what comes of it.s"

"I won't leave here unless you do. I will not leave you." Thor promised.

The weight of the promise settled on Loki, causing him to realize that, with his brother here, he was just as trapped here as he was on Asgard. Thor wouldn't leave his side, trying day and night to bring him back. Panic coursed through him but he wouldn't let it affect his decisions. He could be free. He could get out of this. He always did. Loki took in a deep, calming breath and a solution dawned on him. He didn't like it - hated it even - but it was his only way out. He refused to be miserable and trapped. He needed to be free.

"Fine. Two minutes and I will leave with you."

"No tricks Loki."

He shook his head, "no tricks."

His form shimmered away and he was wholly back in his own body, staring at the wall in (y/n)'s bedroom. He let out a long sigh and turned his head to look at their sleeping body. Once more, he thought of leaving a note but didn't. He wouldn't say goodbye either. He knew it made him a coward but he couldn't bring himself to. Instead, he pressed a kiss to their forehead and walked out of the room.

He was almost out the door when he heard (y/n)'s voice. "So that's it then? You're just walking out now?"

Loki took in another deep breath, put on the mask he knew could fool everyone, and turned around.


	11. Chapter 11

"I was getting bored with our little arrangement." He shrugs, "And it seems to me like you won the breakup anyway, so why should I stay?"

The words feel like bullets to your chest but you don't flinch. You won't show weakness, especially when you know something is off. What happened earlier weren't the actions of someone who was getting bored. Not even close. You've spent enough time with Loki to know what he looks like when he's bored and you refuse to accept that he's felt that way with you. That he's ever felt that way. His hair is a mess, his shirt isn't buttoned properly and despite the look of boredom plastered on his face, his fingers are twitching at his side in an attempt to stay still. Something happened. What, you don't know, but you refuse to give up this easily on your friend. Your other feelings aside, you realize that first and foremost he was, and still is, your friend. And friends don't lie to each other.

"Why should you stay?" You practically growl, "I don't need to give you a reason. That's not what I'm here for." You stomp over to him, not giving a damn about the people living underneath you. "You don't want to stay? Fine, leave. But don't tell me it's because you don't care. Don't you dare lie to me. Not now. Not ever."

He runs his fingers through his hair and lets out an exasperated sigh. You find his eyes in the dark and search them for a sign of the truth. They're cold and unfeeling but the mask isn't quite perfect. You can see something like panic flare in his eyes but before you can truly pinpoint what it is, he closes his them. He takes in a long, shaky breath.

"You wouldn't understand." He mumbles.

You tentatively reach out and take his hand. He flinches at the contact, and doesn't pull away but he doesn't open his eyes either. "Then help me understand Loki. I want to understand. You can talk to me."

"Even if you understood," he rips his hand away, "you would just order me to leave all the same."

You cross your arms and lift your chin. "So you think you know how I'm going to react and you decided that it's better if you're the one who decides to call it before I can? Do you really have that much pride that you won't even try?"

He shrugs, which only works to infuriate you even more. You try to even out your breathing, clenching and unclenching your fists tucked between your arms and body. You don't want to lash out and say something you don't mean to. You have a feeling that's what he's trying to get you to do, because after all, when are you two not playing a game. Only this time, it's to see who will hurt the other person first. This is one game you don't want to win. You can only hope that deep down, he doesn't want to either.

He turns to walk away but you won't let him leave without asking, "What makes you so sure you know how I'm going to act?"

He pauses, his back to you, shoulders slightly hunched. He stays silent for so long, you're not sure if he's going to answer, but at least he's not leaving.

"Because everyone always acts the same way."

The words are so silent you have to strain to hear them, but they break your heart more easily than any of his loud, fighting words ever could have. He's walking out the door and your body moves before you have realize what you're doing. You weave around until you're standing in front of him, rooting him to the spot more than someone with such a tiny body should have the power to do.

"Since when have I been everyone?" You demand.

In part it's to reassure him, but it's also because you need to know.

He wasn't 'everyone' to you. He never had been. There's no way you could have randomly picked him out of a crowd if he had blended in like everyone else. You don't know how to explain it, or even if there is an explanation, but there had always been something different, some sort of understanding between the two of you, that you had never had before. A connection that made it so easy to fall into the act, into winning your breakup, that wouldn't have existed with anyone else.

That special something, whatever it is, is why you refuse to believe his act - why you can see through it. You have no idea what caused it and a part of you is sure that he'll never tell you what did, but that's okay with you. All you want right now is for him to know that he can trust you enough to stay. That you trust him enough to be there even if you don't know the whole story.

You look into his eyes, the hallway lights illuminating the raw emotion in his eyes like brilliant emeralds. You say nothing, waiting for him to come to the realization that you're here and don't want to be any where else. Waiting for him to realize that the game you two had been playing wasn't winning the break up - not really anyways - but seeing who could figure out their feelings first. But you know that there's no winner unless both of you get there together. And if there's anything you have faith in right now, is that neither of you lose.

Loki lifts his gaze to the ceiling, as if the answer to the question is there. He inhales sharply, his gaze dropping to yours before whispering, "Never. You've never just been everyone."

In one quick stride his hands are cupping your head and tilting it back, his lips desperately on yours. You pull him closer, fuelled by anger and passion, your hands weaving into his messy hair. His tongue parts your lips, urgent and demanding, and your grip tightens in his hair, hungrily wanting more. You feel his hands travel down your spine to your thighs as if to lift you up around his waist but he stops, his lips pressing a gentle kiss to your lips before pulling away.

You itch to pull him back to you but you freeze when you see the look in his eyes. You know the words that are going to come out before he speaks. You know the meaning if that kiss before he has the chance to tell you. You don't want to hear it. You want to turn away, walk down the hall, leave your apartment and go back to how it was...only hours ago. You can't believe it's only been hours.

"I have to go (y/n). I truly cannot stay."

"Why? What's going on? Where are you going? Are you even going to come back?" The questions tumble out in a rush to make sense of what's happening in the little time you know you have left.

He shakes his head and pushes past you, whispering "goodbye" as he goes.

You don't chase after him. You know it'd be useless.

You watch him go, until he's no longer in sight and your vision goes blurry. You slump down against the wall, your hands covering your face as you sit there, not know what to do or what happened.

One Month Later

"And that's that. So what do you think?" You look around the room, at the faces still taking in your presentation.

Your boss is staring you down, approval only apparent in the slight dip of her head, while Brian's coworkers are nodded their heads slowly, getting on board with the idea you finished pitching. One of them whispers something to Brian before your ex stands and addresses your boss.

"We like it. How soon can we expect to see it on air?"

While your boss talks semantics with Brian, you creep out of the conference room, making your escape. You've finished your part and the adrenaline from the stress has worn off, sending a wave of exhaustion crashing over you. All you want to do is sit down, maybe have a drink and then possibly nap. It'll be your to-do list for the afternoon. You're heading over to your desk to accomplish that first task when you're stopped by one of Brian's coworkers.

"Hi, nice presentation (y/n). I can see why Brian came to you."

You paste on a smile and thank him, unsure what else to say. He crossing and uncrossing his arms in a seemingly nervous gesture, pulling the sleeves on his suit jacket tight across his muscular arms with every move. You can tell he wants to say more but you're not really in the mood to make small talk.

Before you can think of an excuse to leave, he blurts out his piece. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab drinks after work?"

Surprised, your attention snaps back from the painting on the wall to his left, and you really look at him this time. He's handsome enough; tall and square, with a square jaw, sand coloured hair and bright brown eyes. You're surprised you never noticed him before. He's exactly your type. Or at least what your type used to be.

"Oh, uh, thanks, I mean thank you but I have plans tonight..." You smooth down your shirt, trying to sound as normal as possible.

A warm smile spreads across his face, not in the least bit discouraged, "another time then."

You watch him leave and only when he's out of sight do you turn around to your cubicle and flop down onto your chair with a huge sigh. Finally. Task one complete. You know you can't really get around to part two of your to do list at the office so you settle for part three and lean your head on your arm and close your eyes. You don't know what you're going to do now that your biggest project is done.

"Thank you," someone clears their throat. "Thank you for doing this despite our...past."

You raise your head to find Brian leaning against the edge of your cubicle, looking like he wants to be anywhere but here. You don't blame him, you want him to leave too.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it because I'm good at my job and I wanted my boss to recognize that. I did it because I'm a professional and I can put my own feelings aside." You snap, harsher than you intended.

He shrugs, "well thank you anyways (y/n). Amelie suggested we all go to the restaurant to celebrate tomorrow night, how's that?"

Everything in your stomach turns to knots but you try and ignore it. You can't pull off a good lie if you can't mask your emotions.

"I would love to but Loki's still on that business trip. I'm sure we'll be able to plan something out once he gets the buyer to actually agree on a price for that painting."

"Sure," Brian nods, unable to contain a sigh of relief, "you can get in touch whenever he gets back."

Mercifully he hadn't been up for more double dates since he flaked on the last one. You don't know if he's been reluctant because he doesn't want to hang out with an ex or if it's because watching you with Loki annoys him too much, but either way, it's made your life so much easier.

You don't know why you told him that Loki was away on business. The only logical explanation was because you didn't want to lose the breakup. Saying you broke up would be like admitting defeat. But if you're being completely honest with yourself, you don't know whether it's admitting defeat to Brian or admitting defeat to yourself that bothers you more.

After Loki had left, you had thrown yourself into work. It had been the only thing you could do...control. You had been angry; at him for leaving like that, at yourself for getting so attached, at Brian for rubbing Amelie in your face that first day in that coffee shop and also at yourself for picking Loki when you could have picked any another random stranger off the street. Focusing on work had been the only thing that made the anger subside, if only a little. Eventually it had turned to red rimmed eyes and a trash can full of used tissues but you kept focusing on work, ie. your lifeline. You hadn't been able to stop yourself from missing the one person you had become so attached to. There were signs of him everywhere. You had started taking a different way home but simply walking out of your building those first two weeks had been a punch to the gut everyday at five o'clock. Because no one, especially not the person you hoped for the most, was there waiting for you.

You still had trouble accepting that he was truly gone. You had considered stalking him on social media but had decided you didn't need to go down that rabbit hole. You needed to get over him, which hadn't quite been working out. You had been pretending with Brian and Amelie that he was eventually going to come back. Pretending with yourself that he hadn't left without so much as an explanation. Pretending it had never happened.

You knew that maybe it was time you moved on. Maybe you should have said yes to Brian's coworker. You take in a shaky breath and decide that it's time. Time to move on. It would do no good for you otherwise. You decide to go out tonight, hoping you can start anew. Maybe run into that coworker.

Who knows what you'll tell Brian if you meet someone else and it gets serious. At this point, you don't care what he thinks. He shouldn't have decided what made you happy in the first place.

You're actually getting kind of hyped up, dusting off that sadness, when you get called into your boss's office.

She doesn't look up from the papers on her desk when you walk in.

"I wanted to tell you good job today (y/n). You really impressed our client. It was good work."

"Thank you boss."

"I expect to see the same kind of work as Senior Marketing Manager as I have today. You can move into your new office on Monday."

You're about to ask her if she's being serious but you only thank her. You've heard her tell enough of the people working here how she hates stupid questions and you don't want to risk losing your new position over a stupid question. You leave, feeling lighter than you have for the past couple weeks, a smile blossoming on your face. Things are starting to look up again and you're reader for it.

You're still riding your high when you leave the office a few hours later. You had been hoping to ride the elevator alone to bust out a few dance moves you couldn't set free in front of your coworkers but you stand still in the tiny, packed area, your excited energy barely contained. As you burst through the building doors, you can't help the grin on your face, taking in the late afternoon sun and closing your eyes to relish the warmth.

Your smile vanishes though when you bring your gaze back to the street ahead of you, ready to make your way home. You rub your eyes, trying to make sure you're not imaging the person at the far end of the street.

There, alone, clad in dark, leaning against the lamppost with his hands shoved in his pockets, is the last person you expected to see. His intense green stare finds yours across the crowd as if there's no one else around. That's when you know he's really there.

But you can't seem to move. You have no damn clue what you do now.


	12. Chapter 12

Your first instinct is to turn around and head the other way, so that's exactly what you do. Ducking your head, you hope in vain that he didn't see you, even if you two clearly made eye contact just now. You don't make it very far before you come face to face with Loki, taking in a sharp breath of surprise.

"Please don't go." He blurts out.

You're too confused to think of where you would go. You whip your head around to the spot on the other end of the street, about fifty years away, where you had just seen him. There's no way he could've made it here, in front of you, in so little time. It doesn't make sense. You turn your head back to him and then again to the spot he just was. None of this makes any sense. It doesn't make sense that he's here in front of you, and it makes even less sense that he's here after all this time. You go to poke him to make sure he's really here and you're not crazy, but he takes a step back.

"How?" The word tappers off, more of a breath rather than an actual question.

You don't know if you're asking a specific question. You're so confused, you're pretty sure it's a blanket question – an all around how?

"Maybe we can go somewhere a little more private?" He suggests hopefully.

"No, we can't. Whatever you have to say, you can say it right now."

He runs his hands through his hair. "I would like to do this right...This is...it's complicated and very private."

"Of course, it's complicated," You scoff, "if it were simple you would have explained it to me earlier right? You wouldn't have taken off right?"

He's about to answer but you don't let him speak. You're not done. You've been too angry for too long to let this go quietly.

"Why should I even listen to you? We're not actually dating and we never were remember? I thought you cared. Cared enough to at least tell me the truth. To let me know what the hell was going on with you. You acted like a coward!" You're practically yelling now but you don't care. "You never even let me know if you were okay Loki, how was I supposed to know nothing bad had happened? Did you even think about that? And if you were okay, that meant that everything you said about being bored was true, and I couldn't accept it. You were selfish and you –"

You stop yourself from saying anything else, your eyes rimmed with tears so you look down. Your breathing is coming out ragged and you cross your arms, unwilling to say the words.

Loki dips his head to try and look in your eyes, "You can say it, call me a monster, I deserve it (y/n)."

You shake your head finding those piercing green eyes of his.

"I was selfish and I what?" He prompts. "Go on, tell me."

You shake your head.

"Go on," he growls, "I deserve it."

"You broke my heart." You whisper.

His brows furrow, and the way he's searching your face tells you that wasn't the answer he was expecting. He looks like he only now realizes what his actions truly did. Actually, not what they did but rather why they had such a strong effect on you. Almost as if he didn't realize that you truly did have feelings for him. You want to ask him how he could've missed your all of your feelings when you were clear about how you felt. But you don't say a word; you can't think of one example of when you explicitly told him how you felt. Sure you had shown him in little gestures, and before he had left you had asked him to stay, but you had never told him why you had wanted – needed – him to stay. And with all the games and the pretending, it was far too easy for the lines to blur and the feelings to be mistaken for an act. You realize that maybe, just maybe, he had been as confused as you – that he had believed that you had never wanted anything more than a partner in crime in order to win the breakup.

Your eyes refocus on the man in front of you and you truly see Loki for the first time since he reappeared. Passed the cool exterior and oozing confidence to the person beneath. The way you used to be able to do before the blinding anger. Although his suit is as sharp as always, there are bags under his eyes like he hasn't slept in days and his hair, normally silky and smooth, is matt and knotted. His hands hang limply at his sides, no longer stuffed into his pockets in that easy way of his. It's an act that's not up to par.

A small part of your heart pangs at the sight of him like this but that lingering, pulsing anger prevents you from agreeing to hear him out. You don't want to get hurt again. Even if you know it would be hard to do right now, in the long run it would be so much easier to walk away before you can get any more attached.

He stares at you in silence, waiting for you to say something. Whatever happens next, it's all on you.

You're building up the courage to tell him to leave, when seemingly out of nowhere, Amelie's cheerful voice cuts through the air, shouting her hellos.

Loki springs into action, sliding to your side and into the act as if he hadn't been gone for the past month.

"You're back." Brian states, glancing between the two of you.

"I am." Loki slings his arm around you, and you stiffen for a moment, conflicted, before melting into his touch.

Amelie tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "How was Europe Loki? I thought you were stuck there with a client?"

"I was but," Loki pastes on a mischievous grin, "I decided to surprise (y/n) after work."

"Awww that is so cute! Loki you are just the sweetest!"

"Yeah," Brian agrees sarcastically, "just the sweetest."

She claps her hands, almost jumping up and down, "We should totally have that double date now! I missed you guys so much! It's been so chaotic at work, it's so nice to have a break every once in a while."

You feel everyone's eyes on you, waiting for an answer. Amelie hopeful, Brian annoyed, Loki...

The words fly out before you can stop them. "You know what, I can't do this anymore. Amelie I'm really sorry but I won't be there. And I can't speak for Loki because we were never actually dating and still aren't."

She blinks a few times before laughing nervously, "What? Of course you guys are dating, I mean I've seen you two with my two eyes, there's no way you're not dating."

You shrug Loki's arm off you and step away from him. "I'm being serious Amelie...That day when I ran into you at the coffee shop I panicked. I didn't want to seem pathetic, like I hadn't moved on yet, so I lied about having a boyfriend. When you ended up calling me for that double date, I still hadn't found someone to bring so I picked a random guy off the street and asked him to pretend to date me and well, he's been doing it ever since."

They're both silent, taking in your story.

"And what did you get out of it?" Amelie asks.

You're glad the question is directed at Loki because you can't remember what it is you promised him, which probably means you didn't deliver on your end of the bargain.

"A free meal and beautiful company."

His green eyes are bright, his stare so intense it's like he's trying to tell you everything at once. Everything in those six words you promised him when you first met. It forces you to go back to that night, to your bargain. Your hand flies to your mouth when the realization hits you. You never did pay for dinner. He had stayed despite never having gotten that part of the bargain.

"Why?" You breath to the only person in focus, everyone else fading away.

He rubs the back of his neck, then shrugs, the corner of his lips pulling up slightly. It's almost the smile you've grown to love but not quite. This one seems ironic and sad – coated in defeat.

"The only thing I was ever playing for, still am playing for, was and is your company (y/n). It's never been anything else."

You can tell by the tone that he's not expecting you to forgive him. Like he expected the world to be play a trick on him and that's what he got for trying. The knot inside your stomach unravels and you want to tell him that it's okay to be afraid and that you are too, that you'll hear him out, if only to say that you didn't give up on whatever this was, but Brian speaks first, breaking you away from Loki's gaze.

"That's pathetic. I can't believe you had to resort to a fake date (y/n)." he sneers, "Wait, does that mean Loki's actually an escort? I knew something was off with you man."

Loki bristles but you put a hand on his arm and shake your head. You can handle him yourself. But it turns out you don't have to. This time you're cut off by the one person you forgot was here.

"You know what Brian?" Amelie steps in between the two of you defensively, "(y/n) wasn't pathetic at all. I kept telling myself that deep down, despite the way you behaved sometimes, you were a good person. But hearing (y/n)'s story just now only made me realize I was just making up excuses for you so that I wouldn't be alone. You used, and have been using me, to get back at (y/n) all this time so of course they concocted this lie. If you hadn't been such an ass, they wouldn't have. But do you know what? Their relationship seemed a hell of a lot more real than ours ever was. They knew where they stood, fake but in it together. Were we ever in this together or were you going to toss me away the minute they broke up?"

"Amelie."

"No. I don't want to hear it. You practically ignored me every time we had a double date. And whenever you did compliment me the only thing you could say was that I was the kind of girl you could bring home to your mother. Well guess what? That's never going to happen. I want someone who looks at me the way Loki looks at (y/n), and I don't care if they don't realize it was real. I never want to feel used again and you're never going to have the chance to do that to me. Good bye Brian. Have a nice life."

She lets out a frustrated grunt and whirls around. Involuntarily you take a step back, surprised by her ferocity. "I never meant to hurt you (y/n) and I'm sorry, I hope we can still be friend."

You nod.

"You've got something special here, don't sell yourself short." With that, she stomps off and you can't help but smile like a proud mother.

"Look what you've done." Brian growls.

You take a step towards him, "This is all on you Brian, it always has been. Though this," you pause to place a hand on his shoulder, "is on me."

Using his shoulder to steady yourself, you knee him in the groin, stepping around him as he crumples to the ground. You let out a satisfied sigh and it feels like twenty pounds has been lifted off your chest. You're about a dozen steps away when you realize that Loki isn't following you.

"Don't you have something to tell me...in private?"

Your voice snaps Loki out of his trance and he steps around Brian without so much as a glance in his direction, and follows you to your place.


	13. Chapter 13

Neither of you had said a word on the way to your apartment. You were both too aware of the gravity of what Loki had to say, and you knew it wasn't the kind of conversation you could have while walking home.

He's sitting on your couch, a steaming cup of tea in his hands, waiting for you to sit. Your heart is hammering. You're terrified to hear what he has to say. It would be less terrifying if you'd have any sort of clue as to what is about to come out of his mouth.

Less than a half hour ago you were warming up to the idea of letting him back into your life, but now, you can feel yourself shutting him out – and you don't know if that's a good or bad thing. You don't want him to give you a reason you can't accept and you sure as hell don't want to get your hopes up. You have to keep convincing yourself that those aren't your only two options. If you're lucky, it'll turn out for the best.

When you sit, he doesn't say anything, but you wait, knowing he will. You have a feeling he knows the weight his next words will hold and he's choosing them very carefully.

Looking at him now, you realize every inch of his mask has faded away. He looks like he went through hell to get here but he made it through if only to sit on your couch. You desperately want to know what has happened to him since he left, especially since all you can hear, echoing through your head is: The Only Thing I Am Playing For Is Your Company. The words had eased your anger initially, but you can feel it returning. Regardless of what has happened, he hadn't told you the truth, and that wasn't something you could forgive without an explanation. No matter how much, deep down, you wanted him back in your life, you would stand your ground for this.

You're halfway done your tea when he speaks up. "I haven't been completely honest with you (y/n)."

"Really?" You scoff, "I never would have guessed."

He winces at the bite in your words.

You don't want to stop him from telling you the truth. You told him you'd hear him out and attacking him won't help anything so, taking in a deep breath, you motion for him to go on. You don't trust yourself to speak right now.

"I'm not sure you're going to believe me, but I need you to know I'm not lying to you (y/n). You have my word."

You nod and listen.

* * * * *

"(y/n)?" Loki breaks the fragile silence with a whisper.

You haven't said anything since he finished telling you who he really is. At first, you hadn't been able to help but laugh in disbelief, but the laughter had died on your lips at the seriousness in his voice and at the memory of the promise that he wouldn't lie to you.

If you really thought about it, you'd always had some sort of inkling that he was different, and hearing your suspicions aloud had only served to quiet you even further. You hadn't realized how different he truly was.

You can tell he's terrified by your silence. He's fidgeting, unable to find a comfortable position on the couch, and can barely keep eye contact without having to look away after a few seconds. On anyone else, you'd say that he looks guilty and regretful all at once, but it's not a look you've ever seen on him before. You don't know if you're imagining the look or not.

You can't answer him, at least not right away. It's almost impossible to wrap your head around everything. You had never been one to think too hard about what was out there, in space, but you guess you must have always assumed that no one else was out there because suddenly the world feels like a much larger place; and you, now, so much smaller.

You can't help but think back to the one mythology class you had to take as an elective while you were in college. You hadn't taken it seriously considering it had nothing to do with your marketing major, and at the time it seemed like a load of crap, but you know your professor would have had a field day with all this knowledge. You, on the other hand, are still stunned into silence.

The man you had come to know, and if you had to admit it, love, was basically a god. What do you do with that kind of information? You ask yourself if it changes anything. Does it change everything?

Loki lets out a sigh and pushes himself up and off the couch.

You grab his hand, "Wait. Just...give me another second."

You can't let him leave without at least trying to wrap your head around all this.

He raises a brow and when he sees that you want him to stay, sits back down, fiddling with the tea cup in his hands. His eyes are dull, no longer that bright, passion filled green and his shoulders slumped, curled in around that tiny mug.

After searching deep down, you realize you're no longer angry with him. You had wanted the truth and he had given it to you. You understand why he wouldn't think you could believe something like this. Who would? You're a little surprised you believe him now. It makes you think back to the day you first met, when he had walked you home. You're reminded of something he had said and finally find your voice.

"Why didn't you say anything? That first day. I feel like maybe... maybe you were about to?"

You want to think you would have believed him then. Maybe you would have. Maybe you wouldn't. Either way, you know that it's what you do now that counts.

He lifts his gaze from the mug and rubs the back of his neck, "I didn't want you to see me as a monster; a villain."

The realization dawns on you, "You were afraid I wouldn't see you for you...that I still won't."

He shrugs.

"I would have seen you for you, you know." You say softly but firmly.

He shrugs again.

"I have a question though Loki."

You have many questions, but you narrow it down to one. There's only one that matters above all of your curiosity. One that, depending on his answer, will decide whether or not you'll ever give this thing with Loki a chance.

He dips his heads slightly, enough to tell you to ask away.

"How much of it was real?"

His answer is quick, "All of it." And as if he can sense that you're still not quite convinced he continues, "How I behaved, how I acted, it was all me (y/n). That was real. I meant what I said earlier, and I stayed because I enjoy your company. But I had to leave, and I will have to leave from time to time in the future, but I will be here as much as I can. I know you may not believe it and I won't blame you if you don't, but I will stay... if you'll have the god of mischief."

He's sitting so stiffly, you know he's waiting for you to tell him to leave. Even though you're pretty sure he didn't tell you everything about his home and what happened with his family, you're guessing the things he didn't tell you are the reason he's expecting you to be afraid of who he really is. That, or maybe he's afraid of himself. Maybe he can't imagine why, if he is, you wouldn't be too.

"I don't need the god of mischief," you begin holing that intense green gaze of his, watching the disappointed acceptance flash through his eyes. "I need Loki. The man who helped me out of an embarrassing situation without asking more than one question like a weirdo. The man who challenges me every time I go all competitive. The man who pushes me to be a better person. The man who, even if it was only to win a stupid breakup, listened to every word Amelie had to say with genuine care. The man who bought a Yankees jersey just because I told him he'd have more fun that way. The man who's truly terrible at pool. That's who I need. And I'm not saying I don't want the other part of you that you kept hidden. I do. I want to it all, to see every part of you. But for real this time. I only wanted the truth Loki... I only wanted you."

His shoulders sag.

Before you know what's happening, he's pulling you toward him and pressing his lips to yours. You're sure he can feel your smile through the kiss, and you pull him even closer. You're instantly flooded with feelings of relief and familiarity. As you tangle your fingers in his hair, he lets out a sigh of content and his hands begin to explore the rest of your body. There's a gentleness in his touch as if he can't quite believe you're still here. The gentleness of it all almost feels taunting.

You're about to harden the kiss but he pulls away, that familiar half smile on his face.

"I should probably tell you that I did not buy that jersey."

You tilt your head, your brows furrowing, "Wait, what? But I saw it on you. Don't tell me you stole it?"

In your surprise, you don't mention that you had also been wanting to take it off him yourself that day. That little tidbit you can save for another day – another game.

"That would have been a little bit of conjuration." He replies sheepishly.

You sit back, crossing your legs under you and bouncing back a little on your hands, all thoughts of his shirt and what's underneath, making way for intrigue. "I have so many questions."

He tilts his body slightly to the side in a slight mock bow, a wolfish grin lighting his whole face, "Ask me anything love."


	14. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far thank you so much for having taken the time to read my story, it means the world to me! <3

"I have no idea what I'm doing."

"What do you mean?" You ask, "You've never done this before?"

Loki shakes his head. 

"How have you managed to live for this long?"

"By getting other people to do it for me."

You laugh and place Loki's hands on the shopping cart. "You can start by pushing, Mr. Fancy Pants."

Loki had startled you by appearing out of nowhere while you were in the veggies section of the grocery store. He had only been gone about a week but you couldn't believe how giddy it made you to see him. Judging by the flamboyant, albeit slightly dramatic, entrance of his, the feeling was mutual.

You walk down the aisles in easy silence, Loki stopping every once in a while to look at something particularly perplexing. You don't think you've ever spent so long trying to justify cheese strings to someone.

"How often do you have to do this mundane activity?" He asks, putting a can of soup you had pointed at into the basket.

"I don't know," you examine the jars of tomato sauce across the aisle, "once every two weeks maybe? Some times more often?"

He looks around deploringly.

Before he has the chance to complain, a cart rams into his side, driven by a blonde, curly haired boy, barely tall enough to see over the handle. Loki peers down at him, unamused and slightly bored. You're trying your hardest to stifle a laugh and judging by the look he slides your way, not doing a very good job at it. Just thinking about who he really is only makes everything ten times harder not to make a sound.

"Well, aren't you going to apologize?" he demands.

The boy mimics a look that rivals Loki's.

"I'm sorry that you're in the way mister. Watch out next time." he says before promptly pushing the cart around a very stunned Loki.

When the boy turns the corner you can't help but burst out laughing.

"Enjoying this, aren't you?"

You shake your head, squeezing your lips together in a poor attempt to keep a straight face.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

You stop your giggling long enough to answer, "oh come on. It's funny. You should have seen your face."

He shakes his head, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly, "What am I going to do with you?"

"I should be asking myself the same thing," you counter, teasing. "I have so many things to teach you about our mortal ways."

"I'm hoping there are other, more interesting, non grocery related mortal things you can teach me."

His eyes have that familiar mischievous glint in them that sends shivers down your spine. To anyone else, he appears casual - his hands stuffed in his pockets, head tilted slightly. But you know better. You know the tilt in his head is a silent dare, wondering if you'll take the bait, here, in a grocery store.

But you don't. Because that would mean admitting defeat.

You have't pressed your lips to his since he got here but it's all part of the game: to see who can hold out the longest. You finally managed to tie him on the last round, and you intend to pull ahead. Yet you know that as soon as you make it back to the elevator of your apartment building, you'd take the loss just to get close to him.

He sends you a look that seems to say Why don't we just cut to the chase love, so you wink at him and push the cart along.

The next time you stop and pick up a frozen pizza, he comes behind you, peering over your shoulder so that your bodies are so close, you can feel his breath tickling your ear.

"Are you doing it on purpose to take your time?"

You turn your head so that your lips are almost touching his, "my, my. So impatient."

He brushes your hair away from your neck as if to kiss it and you tilt your head unwittingly to give him better access but he moves away, "I believe you were just talking about yourself (y/n)?"

"Sure." you chuckle.

You've finished paying and are walking out the door, grocery bags in each of your hands, when you hear a high pitched shriek. Your head whips to the sound. It's the little boy who bumped into Loki and his grocery bag is on the floor, its contents spilled everywhere.

The mother is shaking her head, bent over picking up the cans and you can barely make out the words he's saying, so you're not sure you're actually hearing them right, "but mom I swear! I saw a snake, I'm not kidding!"

Other people have stopped to help so you keep walking but you look up at Loki to find a faint, wolfish smirk on his face.

"Did you have anything to do with that?" You demand, stopping him with a hand on your hip.

It doesn't look as intimidating as you would have hoped, with the grocery bags hanging off your hip as well.

"It was just a little fun." He shrugs, unable to look ashamed.

You smack him on the arm, "he's a kid!"

"Everything is fine." he chuckles, "And I have done much worse to my brother and he is in perfect health."

You shake your head but you're unable to completely hide your amusement. "I don't even want to know what you did to him."

His lips peel into a wider grin, "I don't see why not. They were actually quite clever."

You're about half way to your apartment when you see her, breaking off your conversation with Loki about another baseball game you're hoping to go see.

"Amelie?"

She turns around at the sound of her name, blowing lose strands of hair out of her eyes. There's a large cardboard box in her hands labeled 'kitchen' in cute swirly writing, and her eyes light up in recognition.

"(YN)! Loki! How are you guys?"

You glance up at Loki, a faint grin on his lips, and you feel a sense of calm wash over you. It's a feeling that never seems to go away and you definitely don't want it to. "Good. We're good."

"And what about yourself?" Loki tears his gaze away from you to actually look at the person he asked the question to.

"Oh, you know." She shrugs, readjusting her grip on the box. "I've realized some things and I'm ready for a change."

Looking down at the box again, you can't believe it's taken you this long to piece together what she's doing. "You're moving?"

She nods, a grim smile on her face, a poor attempt at her usual perkiness. "I figured I needed a fresh start."

"Where to?"

"Boston. I got a new job."

You rack your brain, trying to figure out what it is that she does. She must have told you at some point but nothing is coming to mind. It's not hard to figure out why though. You'd been so absorbed with your whole scheme you forgot to take a second to actually listen to her. Regardless, it's no excuse. Amelie had been nothing but kind to the both of you so you don't have the heart to ask her what it is she does.

"Where?" You ask hoping it sounds like just another question.

"The Boston Globe." She replies, perking up a bit.

You find yourself smiling brighter just to cheer her up, "That's huge! Congratulations!"

"Congratulations." Loki parrots, shooting her one of his more genuine smirks.

"Thanks, it's a little terrifying moving to a new city but I'm actually starting to get pretty excited!"

"I've found the things that are terrifying are usually very rewarding." This time Loki doesn't speak the words Amelie but keeps that intense gaze on you.

You shiver.

"I've found so too." You murmur, only having eyes for him.

Amelie chuckles, "I'm so glad you two have sorted things out, you're adorable."

On anyone else there would have been spite laced through her words but you know hers are genuine. You hear no malice behind them.

"Do you need any help," Loki gestures to the box she's adjusted her grip on for probably the tenth time since you've started the conversation, "With those I mean."

"No, no, I've got it. But thanks anyways! Not to be rude or anything, but I've really got to get going, if I want to get to my new place before dark."

"No worries." You shift your bags to one hand and place a hand on her shoulder, "It was really nice running into you again Amelie. Good luck with everything."

"It really was! Don't be a stranger (y/n), you have my number!"

With her true smile returned, you turn and head toward your apartment.

"Did you have any idea that she was a journalist?" You ask once she's out of earshot.

"I actually listened to her when she was talking." Loki sasses.

You shove him playfully with your shoulder. "My mind was preoccupied."

He raises a brow.

"No need to be full of yourself, they weren't all thoughts of you." You laugh, "But I just can't picture her as a serious journalist. She's so...cheery?"

He gets a little closer, "I think there's more to her than she lets on."

"Maybe you're right."

"It happens more often than you would think."

You roll your eyes, "sure."

"It has everything to do with the fact that I never lose."

"Except when we play pool." You correct.

You stop at a light and he looks down at you, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "I'm willing to bet that I'll win the next game."

"I'll take that bet if you promise not to use any of your," you wiggle your fingers in the air, "magical voodoo."

He shoots you a deadpan look that never fails to make you laugh. You're not sure you'll ever get used to the amount of sass he can put into one look.

"Come on Loki, no bet until you promise."

"I promise." He dips his head slightly, conceding.

You jut up your chin, "what do I get when I win?"

He shoots you a wolfish grin that makes your toes curl, "You'll have to see when we get home."


End file.
